Stefan sighed heavily at the sympathy. Seemed like Phil had the same terrible luck as him. But Stefan still hadn't explained it well enough, obviously. Not to Monica, and not to Phil. "I know she won't believe it," Stefan shook his head, "I trusted him too."

He'd been doing his best not to think about it for the past few months, and he'd had a good run of it. But now, events were forcing his hand. "I thought I meant something to him since we were kids, about the same age Monica was when we last saw her," Stefan said. What that had meant had changed a lot over time, but there had always been something. "I don't know how long it'll take before the real him will come out again. But it will, and I can't let that hurt her too."

He'd made a bigger mistake than just tonight. He'd trusted Marcus. "My whole family's made the mistake of trusting him, one way or another. I messed up. But if I was certain something was going to work, then I'd be doing it already." The Richters were all stubborn. It had gotten their parents run out of Austria, it had gotten Stefan into all kinds of trouble, and Monica was no different. It was what made them strong, and it might kill them all.