Chapter 18

Senior year. Not really excited for today, but I have to put on a strong face, for my friends. I decided to go for a run this morning, to clear my head. My usual route for running involves passing the Boarding House, but I decided not to go that way today. As I was running, I felt a presence behind me. I turned around and rolled my eyes at who it was.

"Why are you following me?" I asked him annoyed.

"What? I can't go for a run with you?" He asked playing dumb.

"No, Stefan. You can't. Just go back to draining your human blood bags." I told him annoyed.

"So I see Damon told you about my ... hobbies." He said coming up next to me.

"Yes." I looked at him and saw some blood on his shirt. "And next time, don't wear you're breakfast." I said continuing to run.

"Oh, so there will be a next time?" He asked with a smirk. I sighed and ignored his question. He then moved in front of me and started running backwards.

"You know I could be doing so many better things right now."

"Then why are you here?" I asked stopping. He stopped and smiled.

"Because, the humanity-full Stefan wanted you to be protected no matter what. So Klaus granted him that. Klaus compelled me to protect you for that Stefan." He said causing me to smile inside. I didn't want to give this Stefan the satisfaction of his hold over me.

"Well, I don't need you're protection." I told him as I started to run again.

"You say that now. But you and I both know you can live without me." Stefan said from behind me. I ignored him and ran to the Gilbert's. I walked inside and saw Jeremy in the kitchen making coffee.

"Morning." He said.

"Coffee." I nodded.

"I'm gonna go shower and get ready. You still need a ride?" I asked

"Yeah. Bonnie says she's not ignoring me, but all of this Anna and Vicki drama is making her uncomfortable." He explained.

"Well, I'm with Bon on this one. Jer, they don't have to be here. They're only here because you're thinking of them. And I know they both died and you miss them like crazy, but put yourself in Bonnie's shoes. What if she was talking to two of her dead ghost ex- boyfriends? How would you feel? " I asked him. He sighed realizing what she was going through. I nodded.

"I'll be down soon." He nodded, and I went up the stairs to get ready. I took my dirty, sweaty clothes off and put them in my dirty clothes basket. I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I saw the bite marks from Stefan still there. I sighed and got in the shower, and once I was done and had my clean clothes and shoes on, I grabbed some concealer and covered the bite mark on my neck with it. I sighed and wrapped a scarf around my neck. I grabbed my bag, and walked back downstairs. Jeremy handed me my coffee.

"Thanks. You ready?" I asked him. He nodded and sighed. "Alright, let's go." I grabbed my keys and we walked out the door. I walked into the school with Jeremy.

"I'm gonna go find Bonnie." He said. I nodded before he walked away. I walked to my locker and saw Caroline putting up a flyer on the wall which said "Spirit Squad Back-to-school Bonfire".

"Bonfire .." I said walking up to her.

"You have to go. It's our first spirit squad event. And it sets the bar for the whole year." She said looking at me.

"Relax, Caroline. I'll be there." I told her. "Thank you. It's just that ...

" She was cut of by Tyler arriving and kissing her.

"Happy first day!" Tyler said after pulling away. I looked at his shirt and saw blood there.

"Oh my God Tyler!" I whisper yelled. Caroline noticed too and her eyes widened. She grabbed Tyler and we went into the boys' restroom. .

"What's going on ?!" He asked.

"Vampire 101..don't wear your breakfast to school!" Caroline said hitting him in the chest. I looked in all the stalls to make sure no one was in here.

"Chill out. It was just a blood bag." Tyler said with a laugh.

"From where?" Caroline asked confused.

"Rebekah hooked me up." Tyler said.

"Rebekah? She's still in town?" I asked him. Tyler nodded.

"And what are you even talking to her for?" Caroline asked with a hint of jealousy.

"Klaus told her to keep a watch on me. Protect his new asset." Tyler explained with a smile.

"His what? Why are you amused by this?" She asked him.

"I'm his first successful hybrid, Caroline. Don't you think that's the tiniest bit awesome?" Tyler asked her. I rolled my eyes and got some paper towels for Tyler.

"Oh, wow! I can't believe you just said that." Caroline said with an annoyed laugh.

"So, I'm going to go. Good luck." I whispered the last part to her while handing her the paper towels. I walked out of the restroom and ran into somebody. I looked up and saw Stefan.

"Hello, again." He said as I backed away.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him confused.

"What do you mean? I'm going back to school. Go Timberwolves!" He said with a smile.

"Okay. Why?" I asked crossing my arms.

"Klaus wants me to keep an eye on Elena, and you know I'm stuck protecting you. So, I'm just doing what I'm told." He explained.

"I'm going to be late for class." I told him trying to leave, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Oh, class is this way." He said pointing the other way.

"Let go of me, Stefan." I told him annoyed.

"Myra, do you think I want to be a senior for the 100th time? No. But if I don't have a choice in the matter, then neither do you." He told me.

"I said let go of me." I said looking at him dead in the eye. He stayed there and smirked at me, holding me tighter, so I wrapped his arm around his back and pushed him against the locker.

"Stay the hell away from me." I said kicking him hard against the side of the leg, causing him to fall. I quickly walked away from him and all the staring people to my dad's classroom. I walked inside and closed the door behind me. I turned to my find my dad with a confused face.

"What happened?" He asked me. I explained to him what happened with Stefan just now and this morning.

"Why the hell is he following you everywhere?" My dad asked confused. "Klaus compelled this Stefan to watch over me because that is what the old Stefan would've wanted. So Klaus, for some weird reason, did this for the old Stefan. So now, this Stefan is following me everywhere, and I assume he'll do the same to Elena. " I told him.

"Now he's a bodyguard?" My dad asked with a scoff.

"I don't know what he is. But he's definitely not Stefan." I told him. The school bell then rang, and some students entered. I lowered my voice.

"Look, his being here is not good for any of us. We have to do something." More students entered the classroom. I went to my chair. Caroline sat in between me and Elena, who walked in with her, and a guy sat in front of me, but Stefan entered and went towards him.

"You're in my seat." Stefan said to the guy. The guy got up and moved. Stefan smiled and me and sat down. I sighed and lowered my head. When I looked at up, I looked at Caroline, who was already looking at me.

"Welcome back, seniors. Let's turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original founders..the Native Americans." My dad said causing everyone to look at him, until someone walked through the door. Rebekah.

"What about the Vikings?" She asked. She took the seat behind me, causing me to shift uncomfortably. I looked at Caroline and Elena, and we all exchanged looks.

"There's no evidence that Viking explorers actually settled in the United States. Who are you?" My dad asked looking behind me.

"My name's Rebekah. I'm new. And history's my favorite subject." She said. I rolled my eyes as she kissed my dad's ass. My dad looked at me wondering if this was the Rebekah I told him about. I nodded causing him to sigh. This is going to be a long year. It's nighttime and the time of the bonfire. I was with my dad, Damon, Elena and Caroline in my dad's classroom.

"I'll lure Stefan away from the bonfire. Then when he's distracted ..." I started.

"I'll shoot him." My dad finished.

"Can't Bonnie just ju-ju him or something while Myra's distracting?" Damon asked.

"I want to keep Bonnie out of this. I don't trust that Stefan won't hurt her. Caroline, are you covered?" Elena asked Caroline.

"Yes! I will make sure that the old Forbes jail cell is prepped and ready." She said.

"We're forgetting a key player here. Rebekah? Wherever Stefan goes, the blonde ponytail tends to follow." Damon pointed out.

"Which is why it's your job to keep her away. And you have to while I'm with Bonnie." Elena told him.

"How ?! She's an Original. Last time I checked, we're out of daggers." Damon said.

"So then preoccupy her with your charm." I told him with a smirk.

"Might have better luck finding the dagger." My dad said causing me to smile.

"Are you ever not going to be mad at me for a day?" Damon asked him.

"Doubtful." My dad said. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"Did I miss something here?" I asked pointing between the two of them.

"Oh, you mean Damon killing me?" My dad asked causing me to look at Damon with wide eyes.

"I was in a mood." He said defensively. I rolled my eyes and looked away from him as Tyler walked in.

"Sorry I'm late. What's going on?" He asked. "We need you to raid your mom's vervain supply. Enough to keep Stefan down for a while." Elena told him.

"You can't do that to Stefan." Tyler said shaking his head. "Why not?" Caroline asked confused.

"Trust me, Tyler, it's in his best interest." Elena said.

"Yeah. It's not in Klaus's." Tyler said. I looked at Elena confused.

"But Klaus is the bad guy, Tyler. You know, why are you acting like some freaky, hybrid, slave minion?" Caroline asked. Then, it hit me.

"Uh-oh." I said looking at Tyler.

"What?" My dad asked.

"Klaus made me who I am, Caroline. I owe him everything." Tyler said.

"Oh, boy." Damon and I said at the same time.

"You know?" We both asked each other.

"How do you know?" We said again. I shook my head.

"Hold on ... what's going on?" Elena asked. I went into my dad's desk and grabbed a vervain dart. I handed it to Damon.

"I'm just going to go." Tyler said.

Tyler turned around and started walking to the door. Damon rushed over behind him and injected him with the vervain dart. Tyler collapsed to the floor.

"What are you doing ?!" Caroline asked shocked.

"He's been sired." I told her.

"What?" My dad asked.

"Sired. He feels loyal to Klaus because Klaus's blood created him." I told them.

"Loyal how?" Elena asked.

"He'll seek acceptance from his master. It's really rare. But maybe not so much in hybrids." Damon said. He looked to me.

"How did you know?"

"My mom did some research on werewolves and vampires. A couple months after she died, she told me about a vampire who was sired to the vampire who created them and basically did whatever their creator said for acceptance and love. But like Damon said, it's rare. " I explained.

"So how do I fix him?" Caroline asked.

"Get a new boyfriend." Damon said walking out of the room. I walked to the bonfire. It was full of already drunk teenagers. I sighed as I saw Stefan talking to Rebekah by the drinks. I walked over to them.

"Excuse me." I said pouring myself a drink.

"Myra, hi. What are you doing?" Stefan asked.

"I'm having fun, Stefan. You have a problem with that?" I asked him. I put my cup to my lips and drank the entire drink.

"All right, take it easy." He told me. I scoffed.

"Uh-huh. Really? You think I'm going to let a blood addict tell me how to drink?" I asked him. I rolled my eyes and walked away. As the party went on, I got more and more drinks, but that doesn't mean I drank them. I had about four, then I stopped.

"Hey there." I heard from behind me. It was Andrew, a guy from my Calculus class.

"Hey Andrew. Enjoying the party?" I asked him taking a sip from my drink.

"Well I would be enjoying it more if I was dancing with you." He said causing me to roll my eyes. I looked to my left and saw Stefan leaning against a tree, staring at us.

"Actually, I could use a dance." I grabbed his hand and brought him a little closer to where Stefan was and to where the other kids were dancing. I grabbed his hands and put them on my waist, while I wrapped my around his neck, holding my drink in one hand. He grinded on me like a typical teenage boy, which I probably would mind a whole lot more if I wasn't drunk. He then turned me around so my back was on his chest. We swayed to the music and I smirked, feeling Stefan's gaze on me. I turned to face Andrew.

"I'll be right back." I whispered in his ear.

"Why don't you get us a couple of drinks?" He smiled and nodded. He grabbed my cup. As he walked away, I rolled my eyes. When I turned around, Stefan was right in front of me, really close to me.

"So ... who's the tool?" He asked referring to Andrew.

"Why? Are you jealous?" I asked grabbing his cup. I took a sip of it and waited for his answer.

"No. I couldn't care less who you dance with." He said. I sighed and downed the rest of his drink.

"Oh, what a shame. Andrew's not my type anyway." I said pushing his cup into his chest.

"I'm bored." I walked away from him and towards the high school. I walked up on the bleachers and laid down. I looked up into the sky and smiled when I heard footsteps arrive.

"Shouldn't you be watching Elena?"

"Well, Elena isn't drunk and alone." Stefan said.

"And you're way to drunk to be alone."

"You know, I used to know every constellation. How did I forget them all?" I asked looking up.

"You're drunk. You need to go home. Or wherever you're staying now." He said causing me to roll my eyes. I stood up and sighed.

"Fine. Unh. Let me find my car." I told him.

"You're joking, right?" He asked.

"Uh-oh. It's the fun police. I thought that ripper Stefan was supposed to be the life of the party." I said.

"Well, all right, I'm driving you home. Come on." He said turning around. I sighed and climbed over the railing. He turned towards me and looked at me and scoffed.

"What are you, five? Get down."

"Why? Are you afraid that I'm going to ..." I said pretending to almost fall. I saw Stefan flinch. I smiled.

"Oh. Ha. That was close."

"You're hilarious." He said rolling his eyes.

"Look, Stefan, no hands." I said removing my hands. I started to fall, but I caught the railing. I laughed and let go again, only I didn't catch the railing. I screamed and awaited impact, but it never happened. I opened my eyes and saw I was in Stefan's arms.

"You caught me." He looked into my eyes. He then put me down gently. I looked behind Stefan and saw my dad there with his crossbow. I nodded and sighed as two projectiles hit Stefan in the back. Stefan fell on the ground unconscious. My dad walked up to me.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"You look, uh, not sober." "The plan worked. That's all that matters. Let's just get him out of here." I told him. Just then, Elena showed up.

"Hey."

"It worked." She said happily.

"Yeah." I said.

"Let's just get him in the car." I opened the trunk of my dad's car. Elena got in the car while my dad and I lifted Stefan into the trunk. I sighed and closed the trunk. I looked at my dad, who had a concerned face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked me. "Yeah. I'll be fine." I told him with a nod. I sighed and walked to the driver's side of the car. I then bumped into something on the ground. It was a can of gas.

"I see all the geniuses came out to the bonfire tonight." My dad said from behind me. I rolled my eyes and smiled. I was about to open the door, but I looked down and saw a flames beneath me.

"What the hell?" I asked backing away. The car started to burn, with Elena inside it. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open.

"Elena! Elena! Open the door!" She tried, but it wouldn't open.

"I can't! It won't open! What the hell?" She asked confused. My dad went to another car to try and find something, and he found a lacrosse stick. He tried to break the window, but it wasn't strong enough. I then closed my eyes and focused on the fire.

"Suctus Incendia.Suctus Incendia." I said trying to reduce the fire. The fire died down. I smiled and moved to the other side of the car. I was able to open the door, and I sighed in relief. Elena got out of the car and hugged me.

"Thank you." She said coughing. I pulled away from her and made sure she was okay. She had a couple burn marks on her, but she seemed okay otherwise.

"Of course." I said giving her a smile.

"Stefan." I said realizing he was still in the car. I opened the trunk and saw him laying there, still unconscious. My dad and I carried away from the car. I set him down on the ground and sighed, looking at the car, which was burned beyond recognition.

Time skip***

Elena and Damon were in his bedroom. She had a small burn mark on the cheek. He was helping her. I was downstairs talking to my dad about Damon.

"It's okay if you want to be friends with Damon again." I told him as we waited for them to come down.

"I don't." He whispered.

"I think he kind of misses you." I told him. He looked down at me and smiled. That smile disappeared when he looked past me. I turned around and saw Stefan standing there.

"Well you got me tonight. Definitely wasn't expecting that." He said looking at me.

"That was the point." My dad said stepping in front of me. "Yeah. You know, you can hate it all you want, but Myra and Elena need me. I'll always protect them. I think all of you both better off having me around." I sighed and motioned for my dad to go to the door. I followed him.

"Myra, wait." He said causing me to turn around.

"You could have let me die in that fire tonight. Why didn't you?"

"Because I have hope that the Stefan I once knew will come back." I told him.

"After everything I've done, yo..You still think I'll be able to find my humanity again." He said looking into my eyes. I nodded.

"Yes, I do. I know who you really are, Stefan. You're the one who makes me feel happy when I'm upset. You're the one who's there for me when I'm alone. And no matter what happens between us, I will always have hope. And I'm not giving up. " I told him.

"Myra ..." He said coming closer to me.

"..do you have any idea how pathetic that makes you?" He asked. I sighed.

"No, Stefan, it makes me strong." I said driving a stake into his stomach. He collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain. Then, Damon and Elena joined us downstairs. I looked at Damon.

"He's all your's."

I said walking towards my dad, who smiled at me.

"Stop enjoying this so much." He gave me a laugh before I rolled my eyes. Elena joined us in the car as we drove to her house.

**time skip**

Caroline, Bonnie, and I were hanging lanterns from the trees.

"So when you did the spell to send Vicki away, did that get rid of Anna, too?" I asked Bonnie hanging up some lanterns.

"I wish. All I did was block the magic that was helping Vicki get a physical foothold here. Jeremy's still got a direct line to the other side, and as long as he wants to see Anna and she wants to see him, she's still here. " Bonnie said clearly upset. I looked at Caroline and saw she was itching to say something.

"Okay, you don't think I can actually resist commenting on that." Caroline told her, causing me to crack a smile.

"There. You commented." Bonnie said handing me another box of lanterns.

"Bonnie ..." Caroline said with a sigh.

"What do you want me to say, Caroline? I went against the balance of nature when I brought Jeremy back to life, and now I'm paying the consequences." Bonnie said.

"I think she wants you to say you're not okay with it." I told Bonnie. Caroline nodded.

"I'm a thousand times not okay with it. I just don't know what to do about it." Bonnie said. Just the, Damon pulled up near us in his car.

"Greetings, blondie. Witchy. Myra." I rolled my eyes.

"I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan." Damon said to Bonnie.

"What do you mean, why?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Because I'm pretty sure I just got spit-roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost." Damon said.

"What?" I asked with widened eyes.

"Mason Lockwood? As in the werewolf that almost killed me? "Damon nodded.

" And why would you think that? "Caroline asked.

" Maybe because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker in my chest. Let's just say I'm having déjà vu. "He said, which reminded me of how he killed Mason. I looked at Bonnie.

" Ghosts can't physically interact with people. "I told her.

" I know. "Bonnie said .

"Yeah, well, I don't have time for a vengeful Lockwood. When I kill someone, they're supposed to stay dead. Whatever you screwed up, fix it. "Damon said driving away.

" Alright, well I'm supposed to meet my dad, Jeremy, and Elena at the Grill. Bon, if you need me, call me. I'll see you guys later. "They nodded and I got in my car and drove to the Grill. I pulled up and saw my dad, Jeremy, and Elena sitting at a table.

" Hey guys. "

" Hey Myra " My dad said. I sat in one of the empty chairs next to Jeremy at the table.

"So Mason Lockwood tried to kill Damon today." I told them causing them to look at me confused.

"Yeah, same reaction I had. Ghosts aren't supposed to be able to make physical contact with the living, but when Bonnie brought Jeremy here back to life, the witches said there would be some consequences. I'm guessing these are them. "I looked over at Jeremy who was looking at the empty chair at the table.

" What are you looking at Jer? "He didn't answer.

" Jer ... Jeremy! "I said finally getting his attention.

"Huh?" He asked confused. I looked at Elena.

"Is Anna here right now?" Elena asked Jeremy.

"No, no. I'm going to go, uh, check my work schedule.

"Jeremy said leaving.

" Anna's really getting on my nerves, and I don't even know who she is. "I told them. Elena sighed.

" Hey, guys . Who forgot to invite me to the family summit? "I heard Stefan ask. I sighed and looked at my dad, who gave me a sympathetic look. He sat down in between me and Elena. He picked a book up off the table, and I recognized it to be his journal.

"Hmm? Wow. All these words. I forgot how much I used to care." He said looking through the journal.

"I didn't." Elena said looking at him.

"You know, Elena, it's probably best you don't torture yourself with memories from the past. It's best we both just move on and accept things as they are." Stefan said looking at Elena. He then looked at me and winked. I rolled my eyes and looked away from here.

"You don't have to be here, Stefan." My dad said to him.

"You know what, Alaric, you're right. I don't. But Elena and Myra are here, and I look out for Elena and Myra. Besides, there's going to be people everywhere tonight. So there's going to be lots to eat. " Stefan said with a smile. I gave him a look.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Loosen up." I sighed and stood up.

"I'm sorry. I can't be here. If you need me, call me." I said grabbing my bag and walking away from the table. I started walking and then Stefan showed up next to me.

"Stefan, please go away."

"But I like annoying you." He said. I glared at him while walking to my car. I unlocked the car and tried to open the door, but he put his hand on the door, keeping me from getting into my car. I looked at him angrily.

"You're cute when you're mad." I slapped him across the face.

"Stop toying with me! You know how I feel about you, and you being everywhere I go is making everything worse because this isn't the you that I want. So if you're not going to turn you're humanity back on , please just stay away from me. " I said walking away from him. I started walking, and I turned around and saw he was gone. I turned back around and sighed, until I ran into someone. It was a blonde girl.

"Hi, sorry I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No, it's fine. I was actually meaning to talk to you, Myra." The girl said. I looked at her confused.

"No. But we have a mutual friend ... Stefan Salvatore. My name is Lexi." I looked at her shocked.

"The Lexi? As in Stefan's best friend who Damon killed?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Oh my God..you're here because I was thinking about you." She nodded.

"Do you think you could help Stefan?"

"I will, if only I could get him somewhere safe and secure." She said.

"I know a place. And I can lure him out of sight so you can bring him there." I told her.

"Great. Meet me back here, behind that ally." She said pointing behind her. I nodded and walked towards my car. I looked around trying to find Stefan.

"Looking for me?" Stefan said from behind me. I turned around.

"I knew you couldn't stay away."

"You're right." I said which confused him.

"I realized that I don't care if you have you're humanity on or off. You're still Stefan." I moved closer to him.

"It doesn't matter if you don't feel anything. I want you, Stefan." I put my hand on his face, I brought my mouth up to his ear.

"I want you ..." I whispered, letting my lips linger on the side of his face. I pulled away and walked towards where Lexi wanted me to meet him. As I walked towards the ally, I looked back at him and smirked. I walked into the ally and seconds later, he was in front of me, holding me against the wall. He put his hands on either sides of my face. A tear then slipped from my eyes.

"I'm sorry." He looked at me and instantly realized it was a trap. I used the aneurysm spell on him, causing him to hold on to the sides of his head in pain. He fell to the ground unconscious. Another tear slipped from my eye as I looked down at him. Lexi came from the end of the ally and saw how upset I was.

"You love him, don't you?" She asked me. I nodded.

"Does he know?" I shook my head.

"I'm sorry you had to do that. But this is the only way we can get him back to normal."

**time skip **

Stefan was tied to a chair in the old Forbes' basement cell sleeping with his head bowed. I was standing next to Lexi, and we were looking at him.

"Klaus really did a number on him, huh?" Lexi asked. I nodded. "He compelled him to turn off his humanity." I told her.

"He just isn't the same Stefan."

"Well, we're just going to have to convince him to turn it back on. I have to warn you, it's not going to be pretty." She said looking at me.

"I can handle it. Believe it or not, I have seen a lot in my life." I told her.

"Well, by the face you put on, nobody would ever know." She said.

"The only people that know about everything I've gone through are my dad and .." I motioned to Stefan.

"Wow ... this might be harder for you than you think." She said turning from me to Stefan. She kicked him in the leg.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Stefan's eyes then opened and looked around the room. His eyes stopped on Lexi.

"How are you feelin '?"

"Lexi? .What is this? Let me out of here!" He said trying to struggle.

"Shh. Inside voices, please. I'm trying to get inside your head." She said moving crossing her arms. He looked towards me.

"Myra. Get rid of her, please." He said.

"No." I told him.

"First step, drying him out. Starve away the blood lust. Strip away the temptation." Lexi said to me.

"This isn't going to work, Lexi. You can't do this." Stefan said trying to get out of the chains.

"You heard the not pretty part?" Lexi asked looking at me.

"I heard you." I said looking at Stefan. Lexi leaned in front of him and looked Stefan in the eyes.

"What are you doing?" He asked started to growl in pain.

"What are you doing, Lexi ?!" He yelled. He looked down at his hands, which were perfectly fine. He moved all around trying to get out. He was sweating and staring at me, like I was his meal.

"I'm starving! I'm starving! I'm starving! Let me out! Let me out. Please let me out."

"What's happening?" I asked her.

"He's hallucinating. That's three months without any blood." She said looking at him.

"Let me out!" Stefan yelled.

"Now he's at nine months." Lexi continued. Stefan started to look worse and worse.

"Two years ... Five."

"Did I ever tell you how glad I am that you're dead?" Stefan said to Lexi. I looked at her waiting for her response.

"Oh. I missed you, too, friend." Lexi said with a smile. Just then, my phone started to ring. It was Elena.

"I'll be right back." I told Lexi. She nodded. I looked at Stefan before walking outside. I answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Have you talked to Damon? Because I can't reach him. And if I can't reach him, then we can't find the necklace, and if we don't find the necklace, we can't send the ghosts back. " She explained.

"Listen, about that, I need you to get Bonnie to hold off on sending the ghosts back." i told her.

"What? Why?" She asked confused.

"Lexi's here and she's helping with Stefan." I told her.

"Wait, Lexi's there?" She asked. I responded with a "yeah".

"Okay. I'll tell Bonnie to hold off on the spell." She paused.

"How is he?" Before I could say anything, I heard Stefan groaning loudly.

"There's you're answer." I told her with a sigh.

"Hopefully, Lexi can pull this off in time."

"Yeah. Just, tell him I love him." She said causing me to sigh.

"I will." I said looking down.

"I'll call you later. Bye." I hung up and walked back into the room.

"I think that bought you some more time." I told Lexi.

"No, please Myra. Get her to stop. Please! I'll do anything." He said looking at me.

"I don't believe a word that comes out of your mouth." I said blankly. His mood changed immediately.

"You know what? I don't want your help, anyway. I wish I'd never met you. Every single moment that I've spent with you has been a complete and total waste." He yelled. I looked at him in shock. I mean, I know this isn't him talking, but it still hurt to hear him say that.

"You see that? That's the ripper talking. Once he's weak enough, you have to cause him pain. Make him feel things. Anger, rage, anything. You have to make him see past the blood." She said driving a stake through his body and pulling it out. He groaned out in pain.

"Think of it as a regimen. Day in and day out. Like running the treadmill. Like making coffee. Until he's ready to be saved."

"I will rip you apart, Lexi!" He yelled.

"You can't. I'm already dead." She shot back before driving the stake through his body again. I cringed at the sight of Stefan's wounds. After about twenty minutes, Elena called me and told me they found the necklace.

"Quit fighting me, Stefan. I know you're in there." Lexi said from inside the cell.

"Not anymore, Lexi." I heard Stefan say. I walked back into the cell.

"You know you say that every time. Until I make you feel again." She drove a stake through his stomach.

"You wasted your whole life taking care of me. Now you're dead and you still have nothing better to do." Stefan said spitting out some blood.

"We're running out of time." I told Lexi.

"You've got to get me more." She said looking at me.

"I can't." I told her.

"No! No ... not until I break through." She said panicking.

"I can't, Lexi. They have the necklace. They're going to close the door." I explained. She looked like an idea hit her. She then looked to Stefan.

"The necklace. Okay. That necklace. At least tell me you remember how you felt about that. You found it during your darkest time. And you said, when you made it through, that that necklace represented hope." Lexi said kneeling next to him. We both awaited his response.

"Ironic, then, that it's about to be blown to pieces." He said looking at Lexi. I looked down and sighed. I looked back up and him and crossed my arms. Lexi stood up and looked at me.

"He's still in there, Elena. You just have to break through." She told me. I nodded.

"It's okay, Lexi, I know what to do now. You can be free." I told her with a smile.

"It was nice meeting you. Thank you." She nodded and smiled. She looked at Stefan and disappeared.

"So what are you going to do, Myra? You just going to stand there? Waiting for me to dry out?" Stefan asked causing me to look at him.

"No, I'm going to go home, take care of my dad. Be a friend to Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline and everything else that I have to do." I told him walking towards the door.

"That's good for you." I turned back towards him.

"You know, I was wondering when you were going to give up."

"I haven't given up, Stefan. I still have hope." I walked over towards him.

"But there's nothing that I can do until you get yours back." I kneeled down, touching the sides of his face.

"Hey. You can break through this. Fight for it. Feel something. Anything, Stefan. Because if you don't, you're going to lose me forever." I said causing his face to change slightly.

"And I don't want to loose someone else I love." I stood up and walked outside of the cellar, closing the door behind me. I looked back inside through the window and saw Stefan looking at me. I sighed and walked away.