I'm not protecting you, Elena. I'm trying to do the right thing, something that I don't always do. You don't deserve to be here and I'm not going to leave you alone. Not because you're the doppelganger but because no one deserves that.

( maybe damon deserves it. damon definitely deserves it. )

You don't need to take all of this on your own. It's not going to work and it's only going to make you even more tired than you are.