a tale as long as time.

Adelaid had mixed feelings in regards to being back in Mystic Falls. Part of her was happy, this had once been her home after all, but the other part of her, the more rational part, recalled everything that had happened here. Yes, to most one hundred and fifty years was a long time, but when you had an eternity to live it was but a small fraction of one's life. She'd made the best of the eternal life she had with Eleanor, but that didn't mean she'd forgotten any of the past she had here in Mystic Falls. With everything that had happened, well, it was rather difficult to forget to say the least. She could push it to the back of her mind as often as she wanted to and with a great deal of success for the most part, but returning to her old home had already opened an old wound that she was certain she had patched up long ago.

"It's kind of bittersweet, you know?" She said, glancing out the window at the town's scenery. While she hoped to make the best of her time here, part of her was hesitant in doing so, and she was certain that Eleanor would pick up on that rather quickly. Over the years, Damon and Stefan Salvatore had crossed her mind on a few different occasions. Neither she nor Eleanor knew what had come of the two brothers. She often wondered if they had suffered the same fate that she and her friend had, or maybe they'd been a bit luckier. Maybe they'd been able to live out their lives as any person normally would. It didn't matter though. It wasn't likely that, if they were still around, they'd be here in Mystic Falls anyway. What would the odds of that be anyway?

---

Stefan was avoiding him, that much Damon knew. He was a bit less persistent than Elena was though, who was entirely convinced that his brother could go back to being who he was before everything with Klaus had gone done. Damon thought she was being a little too naive, and he was beginning to think any and all efforts taken to bring Stefan back to who he used to be would be futile. Elena didn't seem to think so though, that much was fairly obvious, and Damon didn't know how much longer it would be before she actually came to her senses and abandoned all hope.

For the time being, he was giving his brother a little space, something that Elena clearly didn't understand the concept in doing. He understood where she was coming from, but he doubted that continuously bugging his brother about it and bringing it up time and time again wasn't going to do anything. Stefan had already heard it from her an umpteenth number of times. Maybe he needed to hear it from someone else. Damon had no idea who that someone might be though, so he hadn't posed the idea to Elena. She was already doing enough scheming as it was.

"If anyone in this world understands the bittersweetness of being back here aside from you it's me," Eleanor told her friend, as she too glanced out the window to view the scenery of the town. A lot of things had changed since the last time they'd been there, yet it also felt so familiar as if it hadn't been one hundred and fifty years since she'd been there. Being back in Mystic Falls honestly had its difficulties. For starters this town was where she'd met, fallen in love, and become betrothed to none other than Damon Salvatore. Something that sadly hadn't ended the way anyone could've expected. Rather than a happily ever after for her and Damon once he'd returned from the war she was met with a sad tale of woe for herself. Thanks to the devil herself Katherine Pierce. To this day Eleanor still found herself wondering so many things about back then, though she was certain she'd probably never have answers. And she wasn't ever going to hunt down Katherine to ask her because it was never safe to believe a word that came out of Katherine's mouth. Not if you wanted to survive anyway.

Eleanor eventually had to pull her eyes away from looking through the window at the town and back to reality. "Well, should we order some food and then get to it then? After all, this use to be our town and I for one would like to see what's come of it. Maybe someone throughout the last one hundred and fifty years had a working brain and made major improvements. Also I want to know if the rumors I've been hearing are in fact true," Eleanor added. She felt a little weird hoping that they were in fact true and that maybe Damon and Stefan were still alive and had also been turned back then. After all, Damon had broken her heart and that was a very old wound that would likely be best kept closed. However, she felt like she needed to know. And as much as it pained her she could imagine that Addy felt very similarly about Stefan.

---

"Bonnie I don't have time to listen to you try and convince me of anything okay. What I need you to do is use your witch powers and hide these damn coffins so that Klaus can't find them. And if you can't do that for me then Klaus will likely kill us both for taking his family," Stefan said holding up his hand to cut Bonnie off before she could say anything. He truly didn't have the time to deal with anyone right now. He had a mission he needed to get done. And dealing with Bonnie or Elena, or Caroline right now was actually going to piss him off. "Also if you wouldn't mind relaying a message to Elena I'd appreciate it. Tell her to stop looking for me. Because the longer she looks, and the closer to me she tries to get the further away I'm going to go,"

Even in this state of mind Stefan would try his best to care for Elena, and this was how he did that. By staying away from her, he wasn't any good to her right now, he wasn't healthy for her or himself. There were a million things that needed to be done and taken care of before he could truly turn things back on, and truthfully the longer he lived without it the more he realized that maybe Elena wasn't the person for him. After all, she just seemed to want to fix him when he didn't fall into the man she wanted him to be. Like she couldn't accept his bad qualities the same way she did his good ones. And Stefan knew if he were ever going to have a life with someone for the rest of eternity which was a very long time, he would need that to be with someone who could love every single part of him. Even the parts that were down right awful. Not someone who would try and fix him or take away the parts of him that didn't into their image of him.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Adelaide said, mustering up a small smile. Maybe if she and her friend distracted themselves enough with new places and scenery within the town, they wouldn't be forced to think of their pasts there. Little did she know that there would be much to bring those memories fourth, more than she could have ever anticipated really. Once her friend had parked the car in the driveway of their rental, she was quick to hop out. "Anything to delay unpacking." She added, sending cheeky grin her friends way.

It was no secret that the redhead avoided unpacking her things for an extended period of time. Maybe it was because she was much less likely to stay in one place as long as Eleanor was. She traveled around more than her friend did, though they still remained in close contact and had lived together on numerous occasions in the many years that had passed since they had last set foot in Mystic Falls.

"Alright, lets see what's changed in this town since we were last here." She said, starting down the street towards the more central part of town. She knew that a lot would have obviously changed, though it still had a very small-town feel to it. Nothing about Mystic Falls had ever been big. Everybody knew everybody and she had a feeling that wasn't something that would change. As they walked, she looked around at the different buildings they passed. One place in particular seemed fairly popular: The Grill. "Come on, Ellie. Maybe there's a cute bartender we can compel to give us free drinks." She grinned slightly, grabbing the brunette's hand before pulling her inside.

---

Damon didn't understand how his brother was managing to avoid him as easily as he was. They were both living in the boarding house after all, though Damon didn't exactly seek Stefan out or anything like that. That seemed to be Elena's job, and it was one that she was failing miserably at. He was seated in his usual spot at the bar in The Grill, a half-empty glass of Bourbon sitting in front of him. If Elena saw him, she would likely go on about he was doing nothing to help Stefan turn his humanity back on. The way he saw it though, there wasn't much that any of them could really do to help the cause. The only person who had ever been able to get his brother to snap out of it was Lexi and, well, she wasn't going to be doing that this time around for some fairly obvious reasons.

He knew that Elena was still trying to come up with some sort of a plan though. He highly doubted that it was one that would work, though he didn't say anything of it seeing as he knew she wouldn't listen to him even if he tried to talk her out of it. He wouldn't necessarily say that his brother was a lost cause, but the one person who normally helped in situations like this one wasn't around anymore, and he couldn't think of anyone who might take on Lexi's role now. If it was going to happen, and his brother was going to flip the switch back on, it was going to happen. Damon was done trying to intervene.

Ellie stepped out of the car and followed her friend more than happy to start off their excursion of the town they once loved by stopping at The Grill and compelling a cute boy into giving them free drinks. "I do hope this town doesn't end up being a total bore," she added as Ellie wanted her return to Mystic Falls to be fruitful and at least somewhat fun. Though she couldn't give an answer to how long they would actually be in town, Ellie did have a small hope it would be awhile. Even with all the heartbreak that had happened here all those years ago Ellie still had a soft spot for the town in her heart. It might not have always seemed like it, but she did. Mystic Falls had once long ago been her home, the place she had hoped to marry and start a family of her own. It was a place that had always been small yet mighty.

"What an interesting atmosphere," Ellie glanced around the grill once she was inside and found herself walking straight for the bar. "Hopefully the food is good,"

She took a seat at the bar and then waited for the bartender to approach them. "It's not very busy though," she noted wondering where all the people in the town were. Sure it was a little early in the day however it was also a Saturday, which Ellie had gathered in her years was normally a very busy day for places this like. Even in the earlier hours of the day people tended to flock towards establishments that served food and booze regardless of the time on Saturdays. However today there was a lack of people. And she knew Mystic Falls was small, but it couldn't be that small.

"How can I help you ladies?" A young man asked walking up to them. He was cute and he seemed friendly enough.

---

Bonnie finished doing her spell for Stefan before shaking her head at him. "Elena is just looking out for you. So is Damon, and everyone else in this town who cares about you. Which you clearly won't do for yourself. You ran off with Katherine for Gods sake. You clearly have lost your mind if you thought for a second that was a good idea. She's a lunatic,"

Stefan laughed. "Looking out for me, right. I forgot that everyone thinks I need to be looked after like I'm some little lost puppy. Bonnie if you and everyone else in this town want to help me then back off. I know what I'm doing which is trying to save everyone here from Klaus. I'm not a lost puppy and I don't need nor want your protection. So please run along and tell everyone to stop prying so damn much. And if Damon really wanted to look after me and help me out he'd be here right now. Because I know my brother better than anyone, I'm sure he knows where I am or at least has his suspicions yet he's nowhere to be found. Probably because he knows what best for me," Stefan said as he glanced between the coffins he now held safe and secure from Klaus. Sure there were about a million ways that this could totally backfire and his plan could come crumbling down around them all, but Stefan was holding onto hope that this went the one way that wouldn't lead to their downfall and rather to Klaus leaving town for good.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, El. I highly doubt Mystic Falls is even half as interesting as say Manhattan or Chicago. Oh! Maybe we should go there next." The redhead said enthusiastically. "Or maybe we should go across the pond...I do like men with accents..." She knew that they had only just arrived back in their old home, but Adelaide very rarely stayed in one place for very long. Sometimes Eleanor came with her, and other times she chose to stay. Adelaide never took it personally though, she just never really had a reason to lay her roots down anywhere for very long, if she did at all. Nevertheless, she wanted to have some fun and make the most of their time in their old home whilst they were still there. Compelling a cute bartender into giving them some free drinks was the exact kind of fun that she had in mind too, so she was glad that her friend was up for it as well.

Although she enjoyed moving around from place to place by herself, it was always nice having Eleanor there every couple of decades. And they always sort of just picked up straight where they had last left off too which was really nice too. "If the cute bartender has a cute friend, then I might consider staying here longer." She joked, smirking slightly. That probably wouldn't actually be the case though. She had it set in her mind that she wasn't sticking around here for very long, and there wasn't really much of anything that would likely change that.

When the bartender came over to them, Adelaide leaned in closer, shooting a flirtatious smile his way. "A cute guy like you must know what good alcohol this place has, right?" Coffee colored eyes locked with his and they dilated and contacted as she focused on compelling him. "Mind grabbing some for my friend and I?"

---

Damon probably wouldn't have noticed them if they hadn't come up to the bar right by where he was seated. If they were further down on either side of them, he probably wouldn't have given a second glance. Not straight away at least. To any vampire, and any human who knew what it was, compulsion was obvious enough. But that wasn't what caused him to look over. No, it was a pair of familiar voices that caught his attention. Both being ones that he hadn't heard since 1864. There was one that he focused on more than the other though. One that he was certain he'd never hear again. And when he did look over, there she was. Eleanor Abbot.

She hadn't noticed him yet, and it was fairly obvious that the redhead, none other than Adelaide Stanton, hadn't noticed him either. She was too focused on compelling the bartender to bring them free drinks. He didn't know what to say at first, he was almost certain that his eyes were playing tricks on him. When he blinked a few times though, they were still there. They were both supposed to be dead. He and Stefan had been certain of that fact, but they were clearly wrong. When the bartender walked off to get the girls drinks, he made his move. "Compelling the bartender to get free alcohol? What would your mother think?" He asked, the usual snarky tone obvious in his voice.

"We really should go across the pond when we decide to leave Mystic Falls," Eleanor said tossing her hair over her shoulder and sending the cute bartender an equally flirtatious smile before he walked away to grab their drinks. "I mean what could possible be better than handsome European men?" She asked actively ignoring the man she sensed walking towards them, until she heard him speak. That was when her breath caught in her throat for a moment and if her heart could've it would've leapt out of her chest. Her head snapped towards him and she finally swallowed the lump that had formed.

"My mother would likely kill over if she could see me now, after all a woman in a bar, let alone day drinking is such a shame. So I suppose it's a good thing she's already dead and that we're no longer living in the 1800's where I would be seen as a wench for committing such atrocities I mean look at what I'm wearing," she replied to him in her own snarky tone.

Eleanor was usually never like this, it honestly had always taken a lot to push her over the edge or bring about the side of her that she'd never been that fond of. However, seeing Damon Salvatore standing there in front of her made her heart ache. It was as if all of a sudden she were back in 1864 and being forced to relive him choosing Katherine over her. There was a lot of bitterness there, a lot of unmanaged pain that she'd locked away a long time ago simply so she wouldn't find herself still broken. And Eleanor had prided herself on 'moving past' the past. Though clearly that was only happening when her past wasn't standing six feet away from her. "So was there something we could help you with Damon or are you going to continue to stare as if your past is haunting you?" She asked willing herself to turn away from the man she had loved and back towards the bar. Eleanor had hoped that it was true and that Damon and Stefan had found a way to survive but she hadn't thought much into how she would respond if she came face to face with him. And there was no way on earth she was going to give into his charms easily. Damon had after all broken her heart which she had to work very long and hard on mending as best she could.

---

Stefan followed closely behind Bonnie as he had a few of his own things he needed to take care of. One which was making his way to The Grill to grab himself a drink. It would help him think of the very best way to tell Klaus what he'd done. And he couldn't very well go home to do this because Elena would likely be there and she'd try to stop him. But if he went to The Grill he could be alone. And he knew that even if Elena or anyone else even showed up at the grill they wouldn't cause a scene. With everything else going on in town that was the last thing they wanted to do, make things worse.

Yes, Stefan may have felt a little guilty that he hadn't turned on his humanity and that all the things he'd done and was planning to do could possibly cause more trouble for them in the end if things didn't go as he planned. But he didn't dwell on that very long at all because feeling anything at all made it easier for someone to get him to turn his humanity back on which he didn't want to do.

Stefan had no idea what walking into the grill was going to look like, he didn't know that he would be slapped in the face with the reality that he and Damon were not the only people who were turned in 1864. He had no idea that he was going to come face to face with the one person who could actually be a problem in his plan. This was something he couldn't have foreseen because he had no idea that Adelaide Stanton wasn't dead but still running around the globe a vampire. And given that Stefan had long ago detoxed himself from Katherine Pierce and allowed himself time think about back to 1864 and remind himself of the life he had once lived and woman he had once loved that wasn't her, one that he'd been betrothed to and had wanted to a life with. She would be enough to get him to flip it back on, but nowhere in his plans had that thought occurred to him.

"Absolutely nothing that's what." Adelaide said once the bartender walked off to make them their drinks. She hadn't been to Europe in quite a while. Her mother's father was from Scotland, and the last time she'd been there, she'd managed to track down a couple of distant relatives of hers. She hadn't let on that she was related to them, but it was still nice knowing that she had family on this Earth still, regardless of how distant they were. Of course, Eleanor was pretty much family to her at this point, they'd been there for each other long enough now, but it was nice knowing that she had actual living relatives and that her family's footprint had still been left on Earth in some way, shape or form.

Before she could say much else on the matter, their conversation was interrupted by an all too familiar voice. It couldn't be...but when she turned around and looked it was. Damon Salvatore. If Damon was still around, did that mean that Stefan was as well? That was the first thought that came to Adelaide's mind. She'd always wondered what had happened to the Salvatore brothers. As much as she wanted to push Stefan from her mind and forget about him altogether, she did find herself thinking of him every so often. She did manage to avoid thinking about him most of the time though. While there were some good memories, there was also a number of bad ones as well. He had broken her heart, and that wasn't something she would likely ever forget.

---

Of course Damon wondered what had happened to her. He had no idea that she had been turned, and he was curious to hear her story. He could tell that what had happened between them still bothered her. The bitter edge to her words made that all very obvious. She didn't know the full story though. She obviously didn't, because she was clearly just assuming that he'd simply stopped caring about her the moment Katherine came into the picture. That wasn't true at all though. He had loved her, hell there was still a part of him that did still love her, and he would have married and been happy with her too if it wasn't for Katherine. He only started acting the way that he did because Katherine had compelled him. He had honestly always hoped for the opportunity to see Eleanor one more time just so he could explain everything to her, but he'd been under the impression that that was never likely to happen. Until now.

For once, Damon was a bit speechless. He had so much that he wanted to say to Eleanor, but he wasn't about to grovel in the middle of the Mystic Grill. After all, he had an image to uphold and he likely wasn't going to even let his first love basically being back from the dead ruin that image. "Your mother definitely wouldn't be pleased, you're right. I don't know why I asked." He shot back, equally as snarky as she had been with him. "Not that you ever really cared much about what your mother thought." Eleanor had always been something else. She was never afraid to be true to herself, and that was something that Damon had always loved about her. She never really cared if the other women of Mystic Falls spoke ill of her.

As Stefan walked into the grill one of the first very noticeable things he saw was an oddly familiar looking girl with her dark brown locks, closely behind her was his brother. And even though he didn't see this girl for long enough to get a great look at her he knew it had to be Eleanor Abbot his brothers love from 1864 before either of them had ever met Katherine. He only put that together from the face Damon was wearing. It was one of shock, sadness, and longing all somehow at the very same time. It was enough to stop Stefan in his tracks for a moment to glance around the grill before he spotted a head of vibrant red hair and put together that it had to belong to none other than Adelaide Stanton. A girl in which Stefan had loved long ago, she was a girl he had shared all of his mortal secrets with, ones he still to this day has told no one but her, not even Elena. Adelaide was the girl Stefan had longed to marry, counted down the days even until their wedding date that never came. She was the girl Stefan had dreamed of for so long but could never talk about. For a long time he'd felt like he should maybe share about her with someone given she was still to this day his greatest heartbreak, but it was hard because admitting how things had ended between them still to this very day made his heart ache.

"My eyes must be playing tricks on me," he muttered to himself. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be real. But he would never know the truth unless he approached her. So he slowly and cautiously walked up to the bar, which was not usually where he sat, and opened his mouth to speak. "Is this seat taken or do you mind if I sit with you?" He asked before biting his cheek and hoping that when she turned around to face him he was going to be greeted by who he thought this was. Though, he had no idea what he was going to say if it was here, or how she might react to seeing him after all this time. Honestly, Stefan was pretty lost right now.

---

Eleanor kept her back to Damon not sure what she wanted. Actually seeing Damon was so much different then thinking about seeing Damon. It brought up feelings she hadn't truly given thought to in a long time, and it made her wonder why she'd even wanted to really come back here in the first place. Maybe she had hoped she could see Damon only so she could spite him, make him feel even half the heartache she'd felt, or maybe she'd truly hoped she could see him and get answers. Maybe somewhere deep in her subconscious she'd thought there might be a chance they could have a life together. She honestly, didn't know. What she did know was that she could no longer deny that Damon Salvatore was still around, that he was just as handsome as ever if not more so now, and that even after all theses years she still had such strong emotions for him. Eleanor also knew that no matter what she would not allow herself to cave and let him in easily if that was the path chosen. She finally sighed, bit her lip, and sent her best friend a look that basically said 'I'm sorry I'm ditching you right now, but Damon and I have things to discuss I'll catch up with you when I'm done giving him a piece of my mind' then she turned all the way around to face Damon and stood up.

"Let's go, I'm sure there's still somewhere in this town where two people can have a private conversation. And I don't think this is quite the right place to exchange words," She said to him as she made her way towards the door noticing people finally beginning to flock towards the place. Eleanor was willing to give Damon the time of day but she wasn't going to do it here where people could ease drop into their conversation. She also didn't want to talk about anything with Damon in such a public place in case things got ugly, because she'd hate to have to hurt a local or cause a public scene.

Adelaide was on high alert now. If Damon was here, the likelihood that Stefan wasn't was extremely slim. The thought of running into him was enough to open up old wounds that she was certain that she'd never have to worry about ever again. Little did she know that he was much closer than she thought, and the run-in that she hoped to whoever was listening to her would ensure didn't happen was happening right now. With all of the shock that surrounded the run-in with Damon, and Eleanor pretty much ditching her for the time being, she hadn't even realized that he had walked into the bar. She didn't pay any mind to the person approaching the bar as she quickly downed the drink the bartender had set down in front of her. That's when she heard his voice. She didn't need to look at him to know that it was him.

When she did finally look at him, it was only as she stood up and was ready to make a quick exit out of the restaurant. He hadn't changed at all. And it took everything in her to push back the painful memories that threatened to resurface in that very moment. "It's all yours. I was just leaving." She said cooly before brushing past him. As much as she hated to admit it, what had happened between them did still bother her. She wouldn't show that weakness in front of him though. She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. She needed to get out of their now. She couldn't do this, she couldn't stay in town. Not with him there. It was all far too much for her to handle.

---

After he had turned, and he was no longer under Katherine's spell, Eleanor was the first person that came to mind. He had wanted to find her, explain himself to her and try to win her back, but that thought had been extremely short-lived. At that time, he'd assumed that she was still human, what was he going to do if he did manage to win her back? He wouldn't turn her, he couldn't ask that much of her. It wasn't like he really wanted it for himself either. He would have died rather than transition had Stefan not intervened and tempted him with that girl all those years ago. If only he had known that Eleanor had suffered a similar fate to his then he would have gone to her. He would have done whatever was necessary to win her back.

Whether he cared to admit it or not, he was still willing to do the same thing now. This was a second chance. They could be together again if only he managed to get her to forgive him. When she suggested they go somewhere else to talk, he was quick to oblige, no longer caring if he seemed uncharacteristically eager. This was Eleanor, and if she'd grant him the opportunity to talk to her and apologize, then he would take it. "If you see Stefan, tell him I'm looking for him." He told Adelaide before following Eleanor out of The Grill. Maybe the redhead could talk some sense into his brother and get him to turn his humanity back on. As much as he found his brother's broody nature to be annoying, he much preferred it to the person he was when he turned everything off. Lexi had always been the one to bring him back before, and she obviously wouldn't be doing so this time, but maybe the one other person who could help Stefan was here in Mystic Falls again. Damon could remember how his brother had been with Adelaide before Katherine showed up and ruined everything. He used to tease him about it constantly. It was clear that he'd been positively smitten with the fiery haired girl back then.

Stefan hadn't expected the response he'd gotten from her truthfully. Of course, he knew that he had hurt her back in 1864. Well, he had known well after Katherine was already gone, once she'd turned him and he could for once see things clearly. However back then he'd also believed Adelaide to still be a human and given how out of control he was had convinced himself it was not a good idea to return to her and try to explain himself. She likely would've been scared of him or he easily could've lost control and killed her, which living with the guilt of knowing he had broken things between them was much easier to live with than if he'd had to live with the guilt of knowing he'd killed her. Clearly though she'd met a very similar fate as him as she was still here meaning someone had turned her. Thinking back to when they were both human and all the things that had gone south though did allow him to realize that maybe he did deserve that reaction. After all, things hadn't ended well with them thanks to a mixture of himself and Katherine.

He didn't sit down, rather he ran his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath and then called out to her. "Adelaide Stanton! Please don't walk away from me." Stefan knew that there were already quite a few people in The Grill who would by now all be looking in their direction, but he didn't care. There were things that he needed to tell her, apologizes that needed to be made. And he was not going to let her walk away from him again. Stefan didn't care how angry she was at him or how much she hated his guts even right now, mostly because he probably deserved it. But he knew that he needed to make his peace with her and if she chose to still feel badly towards him after then so be it. He also knew that if she would let him, if there was even a small ounce of hope left, he would use that to make everything up to her. Because there was no one else in his life ever that he'd felt as strongly for as her, not Katherine, not Elena, not any past girl he'd been with. And he wanted a chance to show her that. If she'd allow him.

---

Eleanor had only been back in Mystic Falls for maybe an hour, and rather than leaving the grill with her best friend, the person she'd wanted to explore the place with to see what had changed and what hadn't, she found herself outside with Damon Salvatore. She also found herself overflowing with so many emotions and thoughts that she was honestly, overwhelmed. Though she wasn't going to tell him that. Eleanor didn't exactly want to make it easy on him nor did she want herself to feel more vulnerable to Damon and his charms. "You're the one who I'm assuming knows this place now so lead the way because as small as Mystic Falls is I have no idea where to go as nothing is quite what I remember of this place," she told him assuming that Damon would be fine leading her somewhere away from the Grill as anywhere would be better to talk than there.

"Damon there you are! We've been looking everywhere for you, Bonnie said that Stefan was going to The Grill so we thought maybe we could all meet him there and talk some sense into him,"

Eleanor's breath caught in her throat for the second time that day when she not only heard but saw an all too familiar voice and face. One that belonged to Katherine Pierce. And while this girl looked and sounded like Katherine Eleanor wasn't sure what to believe. She did know that it whoever this girl was she clearly knew Damon and Stefan well. She also knew that both brothers were prone to having feelings for girls who wore that face. And it hurt her a little to think that all this time Damon had clearly still been around and there were other girls who looked just like Katherine, girls he could've loved who were not her.

"Or maybe this is a bad time, and I should get back to Addy. I'm sure she's probably ready to leave this place for good. And you've clearly got your hands full here," she told Damon in a tone a little snarkier than she'd intended, before he had a chance to respond to this girl. Honestly, Eleanor was willing to give Damon the time of day to get things out in the open, but what she wasn't willing to do right now was share her time with him with some girl who looked exactly like Katherine. The girl who'd ruined everything for them in 1864. Eleanor would not go through that pain again. So she turned on her heels ready to head back to her friend and leave so she could forget all about this stupid trip.

Adelaide didn't even want to give him the time of day. The way she saw it, he didn't deserve her time or any sort of an explanation whatsoever. She wanted nothing to do with Stefan Salvatore. She'd been certain that she wouldn't be staying in Mystic Falls for very long at all, but now she had all the more reason to leave. She wasn't going to stick around at all. She couldn't do it. The town was small, and the likelihood of seeing him again was large. She couldn't bare to see him again though. It already hurt her enough seeing him for those few split seconds, all of the bad memories had resurfaced once more, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he'd hurt her. She couldn't.

And yet, when he called out to her, she almost found herself stopping. Which was frustrating to say the least because, even after all of this time, Stefan Salvatore still somehow managed to have some sort of a hold on her. She forced herself to keep going though and simply shook her head in response to his words. He didn't deserve any of her time at all. He'd lost that privilege when he stopped giving a damn about her. Even when she fell ill, he didn't show up. It was Eleanor who sat by her side. Unbeknownst to her friend though, her mother's good friend Pearl had taken pity on her and given her some of her blood before she passed. Even still, she woke up alone and confused in a coffin that was ready to be placed in the ground the following day. If she hadn't found Eleanor, she probably would have continued on alone. All because Stefan chose Katherine Pierce over her.

---

Damon really did wonder if Adelaide could be the key to getting his brother to turn his humanity back on. He knew that he seemed rather indifferent on the whole matter right now. At least, he appeared as such to Elena anyway. He just had more experience with Stefan being like this than she did. He knew what it had taken to get him to turn it back on in the past, and he'd been certain that the likelihood of someone taking Lexi's place and helping his brother was very slim. Until Adelaide Stanton showed back up that is.

He knew that this small glimmer of hope would easily be extinguished the moment the girls left town though. It had taken over a century for he and Stefan to cross paths with them. The likelihood of it happening again any time soon was far slimmer than Adelaide helping Stefan turn his humanity back on was. Right now though he was more concerned about trying to make amends with Eleanor. He knew that there was a good chance that she wouldn't forgive him even after he provided her with some semblance of an explanation, but he was just thankful that she was granting him the opportunity to do so to begin with. She could have very easily turned and walked out, maybe even poured her drink on him on the way out, but she hadn't. Instead, she'd extended an olive branch of sorts to him, and he planned on taking full advantage of it.

"No one will bother us at the boarding house. Stefan might stop by, but I haven't exactly been keeping tabs on my brother, so there's a good chance that that won't happen." He told the brunette as they walked. Before much else could be said, an all too familiar voice called out to him. Dammit. Elena. She had the worst timing. He didn't need to even look at Eleanor to figure out what expression she wore on her face. "No, Eleanor, wait." He practically pleaded with her. "It's not what it looks like. She's not Katherine. She's Stefan's ex." He doubted that was going to make matters any better. "Damon? What's going on?" Elena interjected. "Not now, Elena. I'm busy." He turned back to Eleanor. "Please, El, just let me explain."

Stefan ran towards Adelaide not exactly thinking about what might happen. He knew now that he shouldn't have expected her to want to talk to him, or even be near him for that matter. But he was somewhat in a daze honestly and wasn't exactly thinking straight. "Please, can we talk?" He pleaded as he got closer, and he knew she had to hear him because she was a vampire and could hear lots of things now. "I know that you don't owe me anything, I know that the last time you saw me things did not end well at all. And maybe I don't have a right to ask this of you, but I am. Please talk to me. Let me explain myself and then decide if you want to run away and never see me again or try and let me redeem myself," he added hoping that maybe there was still a part of her that cared as deeply for him now as it did then. Maybe she would allow him to explain everything, tell her what had really happened, tell her all about the overwhelming guilt he'd had. He just wanted this one chance to make things right.

And he could only begin to imagine what Damon might've been going through at this very moment if he was also being faced with the woman he'd once loved. Stefan hoped if he was face to face with Eleanor right now that it was going at least somewhat better than this was for him. After all, Damon had always been the very best version of himself when he'd been with Eleanor. Stefan couldn't remember a time really over the last hundred and fifty years that Damon had been even half the man he was before either of them had met Katherine. And maybe if he was having better luck than Stefan found himself having he could talk sense into Eleanor who could then talk sense into Adelaide. Because surely the feisty red headed woman Stefan had longed to see once more wouldn't skip town without her beloved best friend with her, when he and Damon had known them they were rarely seen apart when not with himself or Damon. A bond which had clearly not broken as they had both returned to Mystic Falls together.

Following her out of the Grill Stefan quickly learned was a mistake on everyone's part. As Eleanor nor Damon gotten very far, given they were both standing just a ways down the sidewalk clearly in the middle of a heated conversation. Not far from them stood one of the two people in town that Stefan knew could and possibly would cause any chance he or his brother had a convincing both Eleanor and Adelaide to stay in town for a while, Elena. A down to the hairs on their head replica of Katherine, a woman who both had reasons too detest. And Elena was not only Stefans ex which would not go over well with Adelaide, but she was noisy, developing feelings for Damon, and overall one of the last people Stefan wanted to see when faced with his first real love.

---

"Explain what exactly Damon? That if I stay here I will once again have to share you with her. That once again I'll have to endure the pain of watching you simply interact with a girl who looks miraculously like Katherine. As if it wasn't heartbreaking enough the first time. I don't know how well you remember our last few days together but I remember it clear as day. For whatever reason you abandoned me, locked me out, and left me in the cold to die alone. Then Adelaide got sick and all I could do to keep myself from going insane was be with her while she died, only for the same sickness to fall upon me. And if Addy hadn't turned herself and then found me in the ward at the hospital I would've actually died alone heartbroken and afraid," Eleanor snapped at him. She was in a conflict at the moment that she didn't know how to get out of truly. It was becoming clear that she was overtaken by emotions and in times likes these she tended to be the worst version of herself. Not the kind and lighthearted girl Damon had once known.

Eleanor balled her hands into fists and didn't even wince when her nails dug so deep into her skin they started to draw blood. She did this to try and calm herself as odd as it may have sounded to some. She found herself taking a deep breath before she spoke again, in a less aggressive tone. "I don't care that this girl isn't Katherine. Though that's the only thing currently keeping me from snapping her neck. I am not vicious and I don't want to hurt her. But I also know the affinity you and your brother once had for that face, which makes it hard for me to believe that if we sat down and talked it would end any differently than it did then. And I will not be left alone by you again Damon Salvatore,"

"What is going on Damon? Who is this girl?" Elena asked, clearly Eleanor noticed not able to understand when a conversation was private and not meant for her. Which caused Eleanor to roll her eyes. "Elena was it? I am not someone to be trifled with today of all days. Nor do I feel you deserve to know much of anything about me. So unless you have a death wish I would suggest going about the rest of your day leaving business that doesn't pertain you alone," Eleanor told her not afraid to confront the girl but ruled by her rather angry heart at the moment.

At this point, Adelaide was very much at war with herself. Whether she cared to admit it or not, she still loved him. She'd known this all along. No matter how many times over the years she'd chosen to turn her humanity off and run as far away from Mystic Falls as she possibly could, her feelings for Stefan were still there. She could bury them as far down as she wanted to but they would always be there. Seeing him now, and hearing him plead with her to hear him out was enough to bring all of those feelings back to the surface. With those feelings though she was also reminded of how much he had hurt her. How much she had pleaded with Eleanor or her mother to get him to come see her when she was sick. How in her last moments before she died he was the person she thought of. And when she awoke a few hours later in complete and utter darkness he was the first person who crossed her mind. But she couldn't let him in again. She wouldn't let him in again.

And when she walked out of The Grill she found exactly what she needed to motivate her to leave him behind. Eleanor and Damon were in the midst of a heated conversation whilst a girl stood off to the side. It couldn't be...but she looked so much like her. When Eleanor referred to her as Elena she got her answer. It wasn't Katherine. Regardless, there was a girl in town who looked just like the woman who had stolen Stefan from her. She looked like the woman who helped cause her so much pain and heartache, and if she was hanging around with the Salvatore brothers, well, she wouldn't be at all surprised if history had already repeated itself one hundred and fifty some-odd years later. "Stefan? What's going on?" She sounded exactly like Katherine too. And so Adelaide turned and finally looked her first love, a mixture of hurt and hatred in her eyes as she spoke. "As I recall, you lost the right to explain yourself to me the moment you stopped giving a damn about me." She spat before shifting her attention to Eleanor. "C'mon, El, let's get out of here."

---

Before Damon could provide her with any sort of an explanation, none other than Stefan and Adelaide were walking out of The Grill. Well, Adelaide was practically running out, and Stefan was following right behind her. So Elena was right then. Stefan had been on his way to The Grill. And his brother had already crossed paths with his first love. Damon was only half surprised that he had followed the redhead out of the restaurant. That was very un-Stefan-like. Or, well, it was more of how his brother would have reacted if he had his humanity turned on. But, as he had thought before, if there was anyone who might be able to get through to his brother, it was likely to be Adelaide. That definitely appeared to be the case right now, although the fiery haired vampire didn't seem to be having much luck with her at all.

Adelaide spoke before Damon had the chance to. He knew that if the pair walked away now, there was a good chance that he and Stefan wouldn't see either of them again. It was very unlikely, especially considering both already had the pleasure of meeting Elena, that they would stay in Mystic Falls. Instead of answering Elena, Damon spoke to Eleanor once more. He had already begged and pleaded with her, and he wasn't opposed to continuing to do so. "Ellie, please hear me out." He pleaded with her, using the nickname that always seemed to be reserved just for him. She used to get upset if anyone else called her that. "Let me explain everything to you, and if you want to leave afterwards, then I will let you go on your way."

"If that's the only stipulation to me not having a right to explain myself to you then maybe you should know that I never stopped giving a damn about you. I felt more guilt not coming to find you after I turned than I've ever felt in my life. I also have never been the most in control of the blood lust and had I come to find you after I was turned to even try to explain myself then well I likely would've killed you simply from not being in control. And I didn't quite enjoy the thought of having that guilt on my hands," Stefan blurted out feeling the only he was going to get her to stop running away from him was forcing her to listen before she had a chance to run. Maybe he could say something that would make her want to hear what else he had to say. And that was all he wanted, to keep her around long enough to talk her into giving him another chance. That was it.

"Maybe it might help for you to know that I have always loved you in a way unlike any other. And I'm not asking you bat your eyelashes and forgive me like that. I just want to tell you my side of what happened. I also wouldn't mind doing whatever it took to get you to forgive me, one day. If you even ever would want that," he told her knowing that something had to happen very soon to keep her there or she would be gone with Eleanor in a second and he would never see her again. Hopefully it would play into his favor as well when he noticed Damon use his nickname for Eleanor and she seemed to be coming around. At least to hearing him out. "You're not going to leave town without your friend right?" He asked her hoping this was it, and he could whisk her away too someplace where they could talk, away from prying eyes and ears.

Before she could answer him though he turned to look at Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie who were all standing around with looks of anticipation on their faces as if they felt they deserved to know what was going on. And he knew that Elena was hurt most of all when Eleanor said she didn't want them around while she spoke with Damon. He knew that the mess with her was going to complicate everything with Adelaide, but maybe he'd have a chance to explain that all to her as well. "Elena you really should leave, take Caroline with you. And Bonnie I would suggest making sure the two of them don't try and get in the middle of anything right now. I know it's hard given their need to know everything, but the past my brother and I share with these two woman who you know nothing of is not of their concern. It's something we need to settle amongst ourselves and I do believe that Elena and Caroline will make matters worse rather than better for everyone," He said not caring how harsh he'd sounded. Just because Stefan, though he hadn't wanted to, was on the brink of having his emotions back didn't mean he was prepared to deal with the drama that came along with Elena and Caroline. He'd much rather deal with Adelaide and the things that needed to be settled with her.

---

Eleanor ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as she looked between her two options. Running away with her best friend Adelaide and leaving this town and it's heartache behind or going somewhere private with Damon and hearing him out. And honestly, running away sounded like her best option. Leaving and not looking back meant she continued to live the life she'd been living. One where she was no where near Mystic Falls or Damon, she pushed every feeling she'd ever had for Damon so far down she wasn't sure if she'd ever felt them, and she did what ever she pleased. Once they left she might've even considered being more like Adelaide and traveling more than she did. Then Damon had to be unrelenting and call her Ellie, and that broke her. Everyone always called her Eleanor or El once they got to know her a little better, mostly because it was always the easiest and most natural she supposed. Damon had always been different though, he'd call her Ellie. She remembered clear as day the first time he'd ever called her that. They had stolen away from lavish party so they could spend just a little time away before he left for the war, and she had been so worried about him. But he'd calmed her right down. Eleanor could remember that moment more clear than most. He'd gently brushed her hair from his face before tucking it behind her ear, then he'd tilted her chin up so she could look deep into his eyes before he kissed her. And when the kiss was over he'd spoken of how the name Eleanor meant bright, shining one, and how Ellie had meant God is my light and that's what she was to him. He'd told her of how when he left he would think of nothing but her until his return and it would be her, his bright and shining light that would lead him home. It was the first time anyone had ever called her Ellie, he was always the only one allowed to call her that, and it would be solidified in her mind as the most tender moment she'd ever shared with anyone. This was something she'd always kept to herself, a precious memory she didn't want to be tainted by others.

Finally, she was coming to the realization that as scary as it was she wanted to hear what he had to say for himself. She would also hold him to his word and made a decision to if she was going to leave town afterwards or not once she'd heard him out. Not because he was pleading with her, not because she felt he could convince her to stay, or that she thought he deserved a second chance. But for her own peace of mind. She had spent so many years wondering what their life would have been like if not for Katherine, she'd always wondered if Katherine had turned her precious Salvatore brothers into vampires or left them to suffer. And she had always wondered if Damon could answer the question that had plagued her mind, why had he left her and had their love not been real? Had Damon only ever agreed to marry her because she was the only choice and he felt obligated or had he ever truly loved her the way she had always loved him? And Eleanor wasn't leaving town without her answers.

"If the boarding house is as private as you say then we'll go there and talk, but I don't want Elena and her friends to tag along. This doesn't concern them," She told Damon wanting to make herself clear, even though she knew it wasn't Katherine, and she had no idea if Elena was anything like Katherine or not Eleanor had a feeling that history was trying to repeat itself, which was the last thing that she wanted to deal with right now. And maybe if she stayed in town she'd be willing to give getting to know Elena a chance, it was slim but possible. Though she'd worry about that after she heard whatever Damon had to say to her. "I'm aware this might be stupid Adelaide, but given I came here to get answers it would silly of me to turn that possibility down. You're welcome to join me or I'd be happy to meet you at our old meeting spot around five and let you know if I want to stay or go. Maybe Damon doesn't deserve this chance to try and redeem himself but I want my answers," She called to her friend wanting her to know what was happening.

[ well I got carried away ]

Adelaide knew that she was going to lose this battle. Stefan was right. She wasn't going to leave without Eleanor, and the fact that he knew of her undying loyalty to her best friend was infuriating to say the least. As much as she wanted to hightail it on out of Mystic Falls and put as much distance between herself and this god forsaken town, she wasn't about to do so and leave Eleanor behind. She wouldn't admit it, but his words had moved her though. She didn't want to believe a word that he said about loving no one else the way that he loved her, nor did she want to think about the fact that one could assume that he still loved her given his wording, but it still stuck with her. And that infuriated her too.

"Fine." She said, pursing her lips. She would hear him out, mostly because she had no other choice but to do so at this point, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "I'll meet you back at our spot, El." She told her friend. She had it set in her mind that his explanation wasn't going to change anything. She was still going to leave town when everything was said and done. If Eleanor chose to stay behind with Damon then that was her choice. She told herself that she wasn't going to stick around though, regardless of whatever explanation Stefan gave her. She didn't want to give him a chance to explain, but as he'd put it, she wouldn't just leave her friend behind, and a small part of her did want to know why he'd done what he had. She wanted to know why he'd broken her heart. She wanted to know what had made Katherine Pierce so much better than her. She watched Eleanor walk off before fixating her gaze on Stefan. It honestly hurt looking at him. All it did was remind her what had happened all those years ago. It reopened the wound that had been left there over a hundred years ago. "Well?" She asked. "Where are we going? If you're going to provide me with an explanation, I'd rather it not be where the entirety of this town can hear."

---

Damon knew what memory was running through her mind. Mainly because it was the same one that ran through his own the moment he uttered that nickname. She had been so terrified that night, so worried about him going off to fight in the war. The conversation they shared that night, to this very day, was probably one of his favorites. It was one that stuck out in his mind whenever he thought of her. And it was clear to him now, regardless of whether or not she pushed it to the back of her own, that it was still at least somewhat important to her. He hoped that the explanation that he was going to provide her with was enough to at least get her to consider forgiving him. Much like his brother had just said to Adelaide, he wasn't expecting instant forgiveness, and he wasn't necessarily expecting her to stick around Mystic Falls, but he'd be lying if he said that he didn't hope that she would.

He hoped that his brother would have some luck talking with Adelaide. If there was one thing that he remembered about the red haired girl, it was her stubbornness. Eleanor had always been much more willing to forgive someone than he was. For Stefan's sake, he sort of hoped her stubborn nature and fiery temper had softened with time. This was, after all, the first time he'd truly seen Stefan seem to care since his brother had shut his humanity off. It was further proof to Damon that if anyone was going to be able to get through to his brother it was going to be Adelaide. It could go one of two ways though. If she chose to leave after hearing his brother out, Damon was certain it would through Stefan completely over the edge, and that wouldn't be good for anyone.

When Eleanor spoke, he simply nodded his head. He wasn't about to have this conversation here for Elena and her nosey little friends to listen in on. She was right, none of this concerned any of them in the slightest. "Let's go then." He said, before pausing briefly to look at Adelaide. "Just hear him out, Addy." He told her before walking off with Eleanor. "She seems as stubborn as ever." He commented, not even caring that the redhead had probably heard him. He figured that he'd at least try to make some sort of small talk with Eleanor until they reached the boarding house. It was better than having prying ears listen to their conversation.

Stefan knew that he had struck a cord with her but he was fine with that because it meant that she was staying behind and giving him the time of day. Yea he knew that this was only happening because of her loyalty to her friend but it was still happening. "Well follow me then and we'll go somewhere more private," he told her thinking through all the places that he could take her to talk. He didn't think it would be a good idea to take her to the boarding house since that's where Damon and Eleanor were going and they needed their own space. But there were a few other places that he could take her.

"So I assume it was El's idea to come back here?" He asked her figuring he could try and make small talk with her while they went off to somewhere more private. Stefan wasn't sure exactly how he was going to go about telling her everything. It could after all goes one of two ways, with her deciding to give him a chance to redeem himself or with him being faced with her leaving and never forgiving him. He hoped it would be the first but one could never be sure.

---

Eleanor walked along side Damon towards this boarding house he had spoken of with her arms crossed trying to look everywhere other than at him. "You have no idea how much more stubborn she's become," she told him finally brushing her hair out of her face and telling herself that she needed to relax a little bit. She was going with Damon to hear him out, to listen to his side of the story, to get answers to questions that she'd been asking herself for over a hundred years and still didn't have answers to. While she did hold a lot of contempt towards Damon she didn't have to be cruel to him. If after this little talk she felt it better to leave without looking back then she would and she had come to town looking for well this so it only made sense for her to actually do her best to be open to listening. It was yet another conflict that she found herself in.

"So how long have you and Stefan been back in town? I assume you left Mystic Falls after becoming Vampires and haven't been here for the last one hundred and fifty some odd years," she asked him going along with his small talk idea, it was better than walking in an awkward silence that was so tense it hurt. It didn't matter to her how long he'd been back in town really though, she'd just asked the first thing that came to her mind.

Adelaide truthfully didn't know what she was expecting him to tell her. She told herself that it didn't matter what he said, she was still going to leave town regardless. If Eleanor chose to stay, then she would respect her friend's decision, but there was no way she was sticking around. No matter what Stefan revealed to her, or claimed had happened. "Pretty much." She said shortly. She knew that she could probably loosen up a bit, but she feared that if she did so then it would be far to easy for him to tear down the walls she'd built up long ago. If that happened, she knew that she would end up staying and she simply couldn't have that. So, she'd answer his questions, but she wasn't going to sit here and make small talk with him given the fact that he was the last person on the entire planet that she wanted to spend even the smallest amount of time with. She had always been stubborn, and never had a problem holding a grudge. It took a lot for her to forgive someone. Usually Eleanor ended up being the voice of reason with her. She wouldn't allow that to happen this time though. Things clearly hadn't changed much in the last hundred and fifty years. It didn't matter that the Elena girl wasn't Katherine, she still looked like her, and it was fairly obvious to Adelaide that history had repeated itself. "I see your taste in women hasn't changed much." A low blow? Maybe. But Adelaide truthfully didn't care.

---

Damon could tell that she trying her best to avoid looking at him. He didn't blame her, but it still killed him that she couldn't even bring herself to make actual eye contact with him. He knew that he had hurt her, and he could only hope that once he explained himself that would be enough to get her to see reason. He wanted nothing more than for her to ultimately end up forgiving him. He didn't care how long it took, he'd honestly just be happy with her staying in town so that he could eventually get her to forgive him. He'd do whatever he had to in order to make it happen. "She was always hardheaded." He said, shaking his head slightly as he thought back to much simpler times. Before Katherine Pierce showed up and ruined everything. "Stefan's got his work cut out for him if she's gotten even worse though." He only hoped that his brother would get through to Adelaide. If he managed to do so, that would mean putting in maximum effort and actually showing that he cared for the first time in a long time. "About a year, give or take." He told her as the boarding house came into view. Once inside, the nerves set in, and that certainly said a lot because Damon never got nervous. But there was so much on the line right now that he couldn't help it. "Can I get you anything? We have blood bags downstairs...alcohol maybe? We have plenty of that too..."

"Ouch," Stefan said with a sigh. He supposed he did deserve it after all it was probably obvious that he and Elena had a past in the brief time she'd seen Elena. And he knew she felt that way because she had known Katherine. "Look I'll admit when I came here and I saw Elena I was just as shocked as every other person is who knew Katherine. I was also intrigued and found myself wanting to get to get to know this girl because she looked so much like Katherine it was scary. And I will admit that back in 1864 when she came to town I did think she was beautiful. But I never had any intention of what was to come. We were betrothed and I was more than ready to marry you. I use to beg my father to let us marry right away rather than make us wait but there were rules that had to be followed and preparations to be made. And then Katherine and her group of vampires came into town and delayed things further," he started running his hands over his face. He knew this was going to be long and hard road, but so be it if this was what it took.

"Here we are by the way," he said as they approached the falls. It was one of the most beautiful places in the whole town, and if Stefan remembered correctly it had been his and Addy's favorite place to sneak away to. He also was sure that if they looked hard enough they would likely find the tree they had carved S + A into long ago as well. "I just want you to hear me out okay. I wasn't aware of what was happening back then. Katherine is and always will be a manipulative bitch. When she finds people she wants to play with she does until she's bored not caring who gets hurt in the process. And both myself and Damon fell victim to her mind games. And if I could go back now and change everything I would. I would give up the last one hundred and fifty years to go back there and be with you if I could," He said hearing the pleading in his own voice and knowing that by the end of this if she did leave him he wouldn't turn his humanity back on for a very long time.

---

Eleanor looked around the boarding house taking it all in before her eyes finally fell on Damon. She could tell he was nervous, apparently all these years later he still had the same tells he'd had when they were human. She supposed that was a good thing for her because she'd be able to tell if he was lying to her about anything. She didn't think that Damon would stoop so low as to lie to her to try and get forgiveness. After all, that wasn't exactly a way to go earn forgiveness, but if he tried at least she knew she'd be able to tell. "I'm fine, thank you though," she told him knowing it would not be a good idea to accept any drinks from him. It was safe for her to drink and let herself go with she was with Addy but it would not be safe for her to do that with Damon. She could see it now, she'd drink and not know when to stop only to fall into the temptation of sleeping with him. Because a drunk Eleanor had no control over herself, all logic was out the door. She might not forgive him if she were drunk but she would certainly throw everything out the window for a night of fun with him only to wake up and regret everything.

"This is a nice place," She said before she slowly walked around the room so she could closely examine everything. All the while her hands were playing with a ring on the end of her necklace absent minded. It was silly for her to hold on to such trinkets from her past given the person who'd given her the ring long ago had broken her heart. And yet Eleanor had held on to certain things that she would always find much too precious to destroy. Yes, they were reminders of a time long ago when things were very different and Damon had broken her heart. But they also reminded her of a time when she'd been in love, and had experienced all the ways in which love could bring joy to ones life. Call her a hopeless romantic, but Eleanor wanted that now as much as she had then. In order for her to feel that kind of love again though she had to move past the feelings of disdain she had towards Damon now. "Would you like to start by explaining yourself or would you like me to start by dogging you with all the questions I have?" She finally asked when she realized that she'd pulled the ring out and had been playing with it, and she quickly tucked it away.

Adelaide really didn't care if she was acting like a bitch. She knew that her current attitude was rightfully deserved, and she wanted it to be known that she was not happy in the slightest that she was even giving him the smallest amount of time in her day. "If you didn't intend for things to happen the way that they did, then why did you allow them to? Why did you do it, Stefan? You act like you cared about me so much, but once Katherine came to town you tossed me aside like I meant nothing to you at all!" He was going in circles with his explanation. None of it made sense to her at all. Of course, if she took the time to really think about what he was saying, she might very well have put together what he was trying to tell her for herself. Maybe there was a small part of that had already figured out what he meant by it all. Maybe there had always been a small part of her that had wondered if Katherine had been compelling him. She'd dismissed that epiphany a long time ago though.

When he spoke once more, she took a moment to take in their surroundings. She recognized where he took her almost immediately. It hadn't changed much in the last hundred and fifty years, and if Adelaide weren't so pissed off right now she probably would have taken the time to admire the beauty of it all. When he told her that he would take back everything if he could go back and be with her, she simply shook her head dismissively. "That doesn't change what you did. It doesn't change the fact that I was all but forgotten the second Katherine Pierce showed up in Mystic Falls. Even when I was sick and laying at death's door, you didn't come. I died wondering what I could have possibly done to deserve losing you to her. I thought that I had done something wrong."

---

Truthfully, Damon didn't know where to begin. Maybe that was why he had offered to grab her a drink. He was stalling, trying to figure out how he should start things off. "Suit yourself." He said before walking over to pour himself a glass of Bourbon. Even he needed a little bit of liquid courage from time to time. Not that he would ever let Stefan know that because he knew that his brother would never let him live it down. He did know that he needed to tell her the truth though. He wanted her to know exactly what had happened in 1864 that changed everything. He wanted her to know that he wasn't as heartless as she seemed to think that he was. Whether she forgave him or not was entirely up to her though. He only hoped that she'd find it in herself to forgive him. If she didn't, he'd respect her decision and let her go on her way.

He took a sip of his drink before he began. "I never in a million years wanted to hurt you, Eleanor." He said. "I never would have if it weren't for Katherine. She got inside my head the moment that she showed up here. I never loved her though, El. I can promise you that much. If I had known what I know now, I would have figured out a way to fix things, but I didn't know what was happening until I had been turned. She was compelling Stefan and I. She made us forget how we felt about you and Addy. Deep down though, I knew how I felt about you, I know how I still feel about you."