Stefan hissed at the continuous burn of the stake. The problem with his immortality, and moreso with Lexi's, was that she very well could keep this up for eternity. His existence would become nothing but his imprisonment in this purgatory of dried out, rubbing veins and the burn of her stake. He raised his eyes to the blonde at her question, his mouth opening, the very words Lexi had just warned Elena about ready to flow from his mouth. It would be easy to lie to her. He remembered his feelings, even if they seemed ridiculous to him now. When he'd seen her walk into his cage--the first time he'd seen her since he'd walked away from her to make a deal and save his brother--he'd almost expected to feel something. And yet...
He could recall how the very sight of Elena had made him feel in past, and how ready he'd been to give himself up for her. Foolish. There were other, better things to live for now than some human girl. Even Katherine had known as much when she'd left him and Damon to die.
As Lexi coaxed Elena into a line of conversation, Stefan scoffed a laugh with his eyes on the floor. "I remember more than she even knows about," he returned. Elena had told him what had happened the last time she'd seen him, and strange as it sounded, so much more had happened since then. He'd saved her brother, gotten trapped with Katherine, and then freed; they'd reunited and gotten back together; he'd been determined to keep them strong and had done all he could to keep her safe on her terms without letting her sacrifice herself; and then he'd offered himself in place of her Aunt Jenna on the night Klaus had killed her. He remembered it all and she knew none of it. There was nothing she could tell him as he sat there, being tortured, that would convince him.
"None of that matters now." He raised his eyes to Elena, intent to continue working on her because he knew Lexi would never budge. But maybe if Elena talked her into it... Or if she came closer to him... "This won't work this time, Elena," he told her intently. "Tell her to let me go."