The Vampire Diaries: Trinity

Chapter Sixty Eight: Memorial

Stefan and Elena are lying under a blanket on the floor of the woods.

Elena wakes ups and looks at Stefan, smiling. "Hi."

"Hi." He smiles.

Flashback

At the boarding house, Stefan packs for the camping trip.

Damon watches him. "You're making a big mistake."

"No, I'm not. If I can get Elena used to animal blood right out the gate." He says.

"You're reaching."

"Maybe she'll be able to bypass all the things that we went through."

"Delusional!"

"Maybe she actually has a shot at this."

"Wrong. You're just wrong, Stefan."

"She won't be able to handle it if she hurts someone, Damon. Her compassion is her Achilles heel and everything is magnified right now."

"Then you better hope she's not a fan of Bambi.

Present

Stefan and Elena observe a nearby dear.

"Close your eyes." He tells her. She looks up at him and closes her eyes. He flashes towards the deer. Elena opens her eyes and gasps.

Flashback

Damon stabs a knife into the table. "She needs human blood, Stefan, from the vein."

"Oh, come on, you know what happens. You name me a vampire who didn't kill at least one person when they were new." Stefan says.

Damon stands up. "You name me one who went on a bunny diet and didn't kill dozens."

Present

Blood covers Elena's mouth as she feeds from the deer. She pulls away from its neck, panting.

Flashback

"If she kills someone, she will crumble. How much pain do you think she could take before she shuts off her humanity switch?" Stefan asks.

"It happens to the best of us at least once." Damon argues. "We get over it, Stefan. A hundred years or so."

Present

Elena stands from the ground and the deer runs off. She watches after it with a troubled look in her eyes.

Flashback

"No, I think I'd like her to skip that part," Stefan says.

Damon begins to unpack Stefan's bag for the trip. "She can't learn to control the bloodlust if she's never actually experienced the bloodlust."

"What are you doing? Knock it off."

Damon continues to unpack the bag. "It's a cheat. It's like giving a kid a calculator before they know math."

"I said stop it!" Stefan grabs Damon's arm.

Damon pushes his arm off of him and they stare each other down.

Present

Elena touches the blood around her mouth and cries.

"Don't worry, he'll heal. Bigger animals are more resilient." Stefan tells her. She turns to face him. "Hey." He dabs at the blood around Elena's mouth with a cloth. "You did it. I know it's hard." He caresses her face. "But you can do this."