Alyssa looked taken back by that, but at least she had another answer for all of this craziness.

Stella had been behind the attacks all along, sending lackies to try to scare Alyssa away from Elias.

She couldn't believe that Stella was such a coward to not face Alyssa herself. She had to send others to do her dirty work so that Elias didn't see how awful of a person she truly was.

"I said don't talk to her like that!

" Elias told Stella firmly as he stepped closer to her.

"I should've never dated you in the first place. You've always been cold and selfish.

"

Stella's eyes widened before they narrowed into a deep glare.

"You're pathetic!

" she shouted at him before lunging at him, clawing at his face.

Elias grunted as she knocked him to the ground. He tried to pry her off of him, but she kept pulling on his hair and scratching at his face.

"Get off!

" he snapped, grabbing her sides to try to push her off.

Alyssa wasn't afraid of Stella right now. She was just pissed off after all Stella said to Elias.

She came up behind Stella and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her back away from Elias.

She pulled hard, dragging Stella across the ground. She didn't have the upper hand for long.

Stella pulled herself away before lunging at Alyssa, grabbing her arms and trying to bite her. Her fangs snapped right next to Alyssa's neck.

Alyssa leaned back as much as she could, feeling panic pound through her as she tried to avoid getting bit.

She dug her nails into Stella's arms, pushing in deep enough to draw blood. She wasn't going down without a fight.

Elias pushed himself to his feet and hurried over to help Alyssa. He wrapped his arms around Stella, pulling her back. With a shout, he flipped Stella over her shoulder, slamming her body against the sidewalk so hard that the concrete cracked from the impact.

Stella laid there in stunned, gasping for breath. She tried to move, but she couldn't without grimacing in pain. She glared up at Elias.

"She'll be the death of you. Just watch,

" she hissed.

"She makes me feel alive, and you hate that. Get over yourself,

" Elias spat at her. He reached down and grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet before shoving her.

Stella stumbled down the sidewalk, managing to find her balance before she ate concrete. She looked over her shoulder at them with a glare. Without another word, she hurried off before she was taken down once again.

Alyssa watched Stella take off, breathing a sigh of relief. Her body ached from being grabbed so much, but her spirit and her life were still intact. That was the only thing that mattered. She turned to Elias.

"Thank you,

" she told him sincerely. As she expected he came through for her. He protected her, stood by her, and defended her from Stella and Eric.

She was okay because of him, and he was okay because of her. They were a team. They were meant to be.

Elias smiled at her as he moved close to her. His face was scratched up, but he was still in high spirits. He reached out and placed a hand on the small of her back, pulling her body against his.

"I will always have your back. Just like you have mine,

" he told her.

Alyssa's eyes flickered down to his lips. Suddenly, they moved closer until they pressed against her own.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she leaned into the touch, feeling her heart race as she finally kissed Elias again after so many years.

She reached up and pushed her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer and indulging in a sensation that she had missed so badly.

Elias held her back with one hand and cupped her cheek with the other, keeping her as close as possible.

He wasn't letting go anytime soon, and Alyssa didn't mind that at all. The kiss steadily deepened as their lips pressed and moved in a rhythm that was all their own.

Alyssa felt so many emotions at once that she couldn't pinpoint all of them. They rushed over her like a wave, crashing through her as his lips crashed against hers.

She kissed him until she ran out of breath, forcing herself to pull away to breathe. She smiled at him breathlessly.

"That was a long time coming,

" she told him. She had been dying to kiss him again, to feel his soft lips against hers where they belonged.

"Yeah, it was,

" Elias said warmly as he cupped both sides of her face.

"Damn, I missed you so much.

"

Alyssa leaned into the touch, reveling in the warmth of his hands. She missed being kissed and held by him.

She couldn't believe that she had gone so long without those things. It certainly hadn't been easy, but all of that waiting paid off in the end.

They weren't meant to be apart. Things got messed up, which drove them apart, but they were young.

They had so much time left to be together. A few years didn't even matter in the grand scheme of things because they would make them up starting now.

"I missed you. Even when I didn't want to, I missed you,

" Alyssa admitted to him. She remembered being so disappointed with herself when she missed him after he left her.

She wanted to forget her feelings for him so badly, but she knew that wasn't possible. He had left a mark on her heart that would never go away. She was grateful for that now, even if she had felt like that was a curse in the past.

Elias brushed his fingers through her soft hair as they stood under the gentle glow of the moon together.

"I think you've got your life back, Doctor.. I doubt that Stella will show her face again,

" he told her.