Life is full of what if's. What if you were someone else? What if I did a little better on that test? What if I had a different life? They are just thoughts and theories on what could of been, and how that is no longer an option. Amelia Evans didn't think herself as one to dwell on the what if's. She knew that her life couldn't be changed, and even if it could be, she wasn't sure if she would. While they're are things being a vampire takes away from her, it offers her so many other things that she'd never want to change.

Pulling off her jacket, she threw it down on a chair as she walked into the kitchen of the boarding house, with the plan of getting food for her sister. She froze in the doorway as flickering lights hit her eyes, revealing the table covered in scattered rose petals, surrounded by many lit candles. In the center of the rose petals, laid a small, black box. 

"Amelia, I-" But Candice cut herself off, as she spotted what her frozen sister was staring at. "What is all of this?" She asked curiously.

Amelia slowly shook her head, her eyes not leaving the small box. "I... I don't know."

Walking toward it, she stared for a second longer at the layout. It looked like a scene from a movie, where someone had laid out a surprise for the one they had loved, which was going to lead to a marriage proposal. Marriage was the human equivalent of eternity together, and while Damon an Amelia had once been engaged, neither of them had discussed it again since they broke up and got back together. It had been a conversation neither of them had thought to have with the other person.

Grabbing the small box, she opened as she let out a shaky breath.

What if? Life was full of them, and there was no way to change the life you had now. In Amelia's case, that was something she had always been certain of. But, as she laid eyes on what sat inside the small box, a lump formed in the back of her throat. There was no ring. This wasn't the grand marriage proposal anyone would assume it was.

This was something else entirely, that Amelia Evans wasn't sure if she wanted.

Despite all that it offered.

Three Days Earlier:

"First step; Convince her my humanity is still off."

Stefan, Damon, Amelia and Elena stood in the living room in front of the fire, discussing a plan to find the still missing Forbes vampire, who's humanity was the next issue they wanted to handle. It had only been a day since they'd gotten Stefan back, but he appeared to be more determined then ever to bring Caroline back, as well as burdening himself with the guilt of all that he had done.

Amelia had dealt with the apologies he'd said to her, assuring him on numerous occasions that it was fine, but he still felt bad.

"I'll tell her that my run with our Mother had no effect on me and I want to keep the party going." He told them, as he explained the plan that he'd came up with.

"Ah, look at that. St Stefan has a plan." Damon mused, looking at his brother with a smirk. "Let me guess... whoever holding the kitten gets to talk about their feelings?" He mused, taking a sip from the glass in his hands.

Stefan didn't bite at his comment. "Torture her until she breaks." He spoke with full determination to his voice.

"Sold." The eldest brother said impressed, giving his brother a smile as an apology.

"So do I need to remind you two that the last time Caroline thought we were trying to flip her switch she  went on a killing spree?" Elena jumped into their conversation, leaning against the back of one of the couches.

"As much as this pains me to say." Amelia sighed, looking at the Gilbert girl for a brief second. "Elena has a point. Caroline finds out what we're doing, she's going to tear someone's head off as punishment."

"Well, she's not gonna find out this time." The youngest Salvatore shrugged, walking and standing behind the two girls.

Amelia glanced over her shoulder at him, looking impressed at his confidence. "Oh, how I've missed overly optimistic Stefan."

"He'll be convincing." Damon told them, also picking up on the attitude Stefan's voice held.

"Fine. Says she believes you." Elena gave into the idea, arms crossed against her chest as she turned to look at Stefan once again. "How do you know she's even gonna want to see you again?"

"Oh, she'll want to see him." Damon told them, walking to stand with them with a wide smirk.

The two oblivious girl exchanged confused glances, as Stefan sent his brother a look. "Damon, shut up." He told him firmly.

"I mean, it's a bit tricky for you, isn't it brother?" Damon continued, ignoring his warning. "She's gonna expect a lot."

Amelia and Elena exchanged glances once again, both of them as clueless as the other. While they knew about what Stefan and Caroline had done murder wise, anything else they'd done while on their killing spree was still a mystery to them. Her brow furrowed in confusion, Amelia's face slowly lit up in realization, Damon giving her a nod just confirming her theory.

"Oh, my God." She stated, staring at Stefan. "Oh, Stefan. Just... wow."

"Okay, what am I missing here?" Elena asked even more confused, as she looked at Amelia, who's face had lit up in amusement. Finally, it seemed to click inside of her head. "Hang on a second. Did you and Caroline...?"

Damon stood behind looking highly amused, as Amelia covered her mouth with her hands, forcing herself not to say anything. She knew she couldn't judge him. Their emotions were off, and people had been waiting for this to happen for months. Nearly a year, at this point. It wouldn't be fair on her to judge him for it. But, it was very clear when they finally did get Caroline back, these actions were going to come back to bite both of them in the ass.

"Do it?" Damon smirked. "Yup." He answers the doppelganger, popping the p.

"Oh... this was after she flipped....?" Elena tries to find the words, looking at Stefan utterly shocked, feeling slightly guilty as she spots his look of humiliation. "Never mind..."

"It's not exactly how I wanted things to go down, but I can't change it now, so can we just drop it?" He asked them in frustration, reaching his limit with the conversation.

"Okay. Sore subject. Understood." Damon told him, earning a eye roll off his brother. "So what do we do once you earn her trust?"

"We drain her of her blood, make her weak, and then bombard her with everything she used to care about- memories of who she was, her friendships, her Mom." He lists, looking at Elena. "Did you bring it?"

"Yes." She nodded, pulling out a letter from her pocket and handing it over to Stefan.

Damon looked at it. "What is that?"

"Caroline got rid of everything from her former life." Elena began. "Her Mom had sent this letter, intending for it to arrive after she died, which it did, but Caroline had already flipped her switch."

"So you wanna use that to break through to her." Amelia nodded in understanding, considering the idea. "It could work."

"Sure." The raven haired Salvatore agreed, as they were right. The letter could be the one thing that breaks through to Caroline. "Unless she wants sexy Stefan time instead of an assault on memory lane." He says knowingly.

With a determined look, Stefan shook off the idea. "I'm not gonna let that happen."

"Well, okay." Amelia nods, pursing her lips. Taking Damon's drink from his hand, she gulped down the last of it, and handed him back the empty glass. He looked at with a rose brow, amused, and she just smirked back. "Let's go get Caroline back."

******

Three days later, they had Stefan and Caroline secured in a B&B room in Grove Hill, having secured it after vervaining the pair and bleeding them dry. It took a few compelled workers, and a day to get the B&B completely to their disposal for a few days, but now they had everything in place to get Caroline to put her emotions back on.

"Okay, you remember how to use this, right?" Amelia asks her sister once again.

Candice gave her a look. "Amelia, I know how to use the microwave. We have gone through it enough times." She told her sister in slight annoyance, then sighs. "I will be fine on my own. Lily will be back soon, you just go focus on your friend."

"I feel bad." The elder sister admits, as she grabs her bag off the counter. "We've barely spent any time together. I promise, once this is over with, we will spend a day together. Just you and me, and we can go through everything and anything."

The youngest Evans smiled a small smile. "That sounds perfect." She told her, making Amelia's smile widen. "You know, I could come with you to this place you are keeping your friend and Stefan. You said they are locked away, right? I wouldn't be able to get hurt."

Amelia instantly  shook her head, dismissing the idea. "No. Trust me, vampires with no humanity are a bitch to be around, and Caroline is no exception. I don't want you around her like this, or seeing anything that happens. Like you said, Lily will be back soon, wherever she may of disappeared off to." She said, frowning as she thought of the Salvatore woman. "Just stay here, wait for her. Me and Damon will hopefully be home later tonight."

"But, Am-" But Candice was instantly cut off.

"Candice, this isn't up for debate." Amelia told her firmly. She almost instantly felt bad for snapping, but she knew she was doing the right thing. "Look, I know you've spent a lot of your life around vampires, and even in her ripper phase Lily didn't hurt you. But Caroline isn't like Lily, and if this goes south, I can't guarantee your safety. I'm not putting you at risk, I've only just got you back."

The youngest huffed out a sigh, before giving in with a small nod. "Okay, okay."

Smiling at her gratefully, Amelia gave her a hug before heading out, leaving Candice alone in the house. She made her way over to her car, but before she could even get in, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, Elena's caller ID appearing on the screen.

"I'm on my way." She said as she answered.

"It's not that." Elena replied, her voice sounding shaky. "It didn't work. The letter didn't work."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, it didn't work? Elena, it was a final letter off her Mom. It had to of done something."

"She burned the letter." The doppelganger blurted out, making the girl freeze. "She refused to open it, Stefan tried but she wouldn't. She burned the letter without a second hesitation. That was our ace in the hole, and I blew it."

Closing her eyes, the Evans girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "You suck at torturing people? What a shocker." She stated, sarcasm dripping in her tone. "Look, just keep an eye on them. We'll think of something else. Don't do anything else till me and Damon get there, okay?" With that said, the girl hung up, and quickly text Damon.

Meet me at the B&B. The letter has very literally crashed and burned - Amelia

With that sent, she got in the car and began the journey to the B&B, trying her hardest to think of a plan b.

******

When Amelia got there, she let the doppelganger off duty, and waited in sheltered patio waiting for Damon. So far, their best option appeared to be let them dry out more, and see if Stefan could break through to the Forbes girl. And if that didn't work, they would have to go with other methods, but that was a last resort.

"Backup has arrived." Damon announced as he walked in. "It's fine that Elena sucks at torturing people. That is why you have me."

The girl couldn't help but give him an amused smile. "Well, it's very lucky we have you in that case." She agreed, smiling as he pecked her lips gently. "At least Jo and Alaric can cross this place off their list of honeymoon destinations."

"They have a list?" He repeated, taking a seat beside her.

"Yeah." She hummed with a small nod. "She's pregnant. They don't want to have to fly anywhere."

"Do you have a list?" He then asked, making her look at him in surprise.

"Of where I'd go on my fictional honeymoon, before I give birth to my fictional baby?" She asked in a joking tone, before shrugging. "No, not really. But, it wouldn't be here. A B&B a hour outside of town, with loud floral patterns." She said, gesturing around them. "What part of that screams Amelia Evans to you?"

"Well, excuse me, missy." He defended, holding his hands in the air innocently. She gave him a look, batting his hands back down to his sides. Doing so, he just held her hands in his, kissing the top of one of them. "I guess we've never played the 'Let's-pretend-we're-human-again' fantasy game together." He told her, appreciating the smile on her face. "Let's play. Alright, you're human. Five years from now, where are you?"

She gave him a look, but he gave her one back that told her to answer. "Alright, I'll bite into your make believe." She told him, thinking carefully for a moment about her answer. "With you. Simple."

He shook his head. "Boring." He declared. "I'll need a zip code."

"Pushy." She muttered, earning a small chuckle, though her curiosity was peaked at his sudden interest in the game. "Alright, in an apartment in Seattle, above the bookstore I own. Next door is the bar that we own. Well, the bar that you own, it would be the bar that I just spend my time drinking at and watching you work."

"Bookstore?" He repeated. "Impressive."

"Well, I've always loved to read, and I know a good book when I see one." She shrugged in explanation. "After a long day working, we'd both be upstairs on the couch, snuggled watching TV and talking about our days. We'd split a bottle of wine, and if I was feeling extra pitiful, you'd be the perfect gentleman and rub my feet. Candice would be enrolled in college near by, and she'd have her own key to come by and see us whenever. She's fully adapted to the world, and living her life with no more supernatural drama."

"Kids?"

She considered the thought, nodding. "Well, you, of course. Like I said, I'd never object to the idea of a family. My limit is two though." She told him very seriously. "No way I'd be able to go through labor more then twice. But, two is a good number. They'd never be lonely when we're busy with other activities."

Damon just sat and listened quietly, as she went into detail about this fantasy life. Despite how she'd told him she was okay with being a vampire, he couldn't help but wonder if she'd accept the cure if offered it. It was clear this was also a life she'd be okay living, but he knew that if he gave her the cure, they wouldn't be able to take it together. There was only one dose, and if they attempted to drink it from one another, they'd slowly age to how old they should be and die. There wasn't a possibility of them ever getting this perfect, human life together.

Deep down, he felt like he was being selfish. He never wanted to lose Amelia, and he didn't want to give her up. But, more then anything he wanted her to be happy, and he didn't want to take this chance away from her.

"You've got this all figured out, haven't you?" He mused, biting his tongue to hide his what he was thinking.

"Not really. But, enough from me." She finished. "What about you? Five years from now, where are you?"

He parted his lips to speak, but the sound of bang from upstairs. "Ugh, this is torture!" Caroline's voice drawled out, dampening the mood.

"Sounds like the rats are restless." He stated knowingly, grabbing the case files he brought with him. The couple made their way upstairs, and Amelia stood beside the Salvatore as he opened the cell window, leaving the two visible through the bars. "Bored yet?" He asked, arching his brow at them.

Caroline gave him a look. "Go away, Damon." She groaned, not in the mood to deal with him.

"Brought you some real light reading from the True Crime section." He told them, ignoring the blondes words, as he began to push case files through the gap in the bars. Each of them open, showing pictures of the gruesome crimes Caroline had committed. "Curious... which one of you idiots attacked a stadium security guard and shoved him in a laundry cart?"

"That would be me." Caroline answered in a tired voice, as both she and Stefan rose to their feet.

"Nice technique." Damon commented, a taunting tone coming to his voice as he shrugged. "Although, it's probably good that you Mom's gone cause that would of been one hell of a cover up."

"Why are you only picking on me?" The blonde whined like a child, jabbing a finger in Stefan's direction, who was gathering the files from the floor. "Stefan's in here, too. Annoy him."

"Because Stefan didn't snap a bar-back's clavicle in half. You know, it's really quite sad actually. I can see Liz right now-- " He began, making Caroline rolls her eyes. "-- Calling the parents, breaking the news, wondering where she went wrong as a mother.."

"She got cancer, Damon." The Forbes girl answered. "That is where she went wrong."

"Oh! Blame her. Healthy attitude, Caroline." He mused sarcastically, giving her a glare.

"You know what? You're right. I should really be more like you and Amelia." She replied, slowly walking toward the door with a smug expression. "Just play make believe about the life I can't have, because that's healthy." She mocks, as Amelia brings herself more into sight of the bars. "Maybe I'll pretend I can actually give birth to babies and have a normal family, and I can get a job without having to move and start over every five years."

Damon's glare hardened, as Amelia looked down to the floor slightly upset. "You're a real bitch when you're hungry." He snarled at her, not happy seeing the girl he loved feeling bad.

"I'm curious, Damon. How does it feel knowing you can't give someone the life she really wants?" The blonde continued to taunt, making Amelia look at her with a glare that matched Damon's.

"That's enough, Caroline." She warned her, her anger rising. "Just stop."

"I'm just stating the facts, Amelia." Caroline defended, a look of satisfaction plastered on her face. "You say you're happy being a vampire, and you probably are. But, you don't want this life. Not when your precious little sister is human, and just by simply taking off a bracelet, could grow old and die. By being a vampire, you're settling, and it's just so sad."

Amelia could feel not only Damon's but Stefan's eyes on her, and she just took a step back and shook her head. "I'm not listening to this."

"Amelia." Damon began, but she shook her head again.

"I won't listen to it, okay?" She snapped, before storming away.

******

"Damon, Caroline's not right. I'm not settling."

When Damon joined her in the patio area once again, this discussion began. Damon had seen the effect the blondes words had on her, raising his suspicions on how she really felt. He didn't want to beat around the bush anymore, he wanted to get everything out in open. At least, everything he deemed that she needed to know in the moment.

"But you do want to be human." He countered.

"Damon, are you kidding me?" She sighed in aggravation. "I don't want to be human. I am happy being a vampire. How many times do I have to tell you that? Besides, we both know us being human would never work. We can't be human."

"Exactly, it wouldn't work. But vampire you can't have the future you want either." He told her, making her look down at the ground. "If for some reason Candice decides she wants to take her bracelet off, grow old and die, you'll lose her again. You'd rather grow old with her, then remain a vampire and watch her die."

She let out an annoyed scoff. "What do you want me say? You know full well that's true, but you don't need to throw it back in my face. No, I wouldn't want to lose my sister again, but I'd learn to deal with it. Because I'd have you. You have been, and always will be enough for me. The thought of being with you forever is enough for me." She stated emotionally, walking to stand in front of him. "Why isn't it enough for you?"

Before he could answer, he pulled out his phone that began to ring, rolling his eyes at the caller. "Oh, good, Mommy dearest."

A few seconds later, Amelia's began to ring as well, revealing the number Candice's phone had been set up with. Amelia knew she should have one in case of emergencies. Seeing her sister's number, she sighed. "I'll let you take that in pace." She muttered before walking out.

Sitting on a window sill in the hallway, she answered the call. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Is it true?" Candice snapped, making Amelia's eyes widen at her tone. "Has Damon taken the ascendant?"

"The ascendant?" She repeated in disbelief. "Why would he take the ascendant?"

"Well, it is not here. It is only thing that allows me and Lily to get our friends- our family- out of that wretched prison world." Candice stated knowingly, Lily having explained it to her when the girl found her angrily searching for it. "

The word family made Amelia's stomach turn. Only Lily had called them that before, and hearing Candice say it hurt. The group of witch/vampire hybrids weren't her family, Amelia was. "Candice, he hasn't taken the ascendant. You need to calm down."

"How can I calm down? You keep treating me like a child, like you can't tell me the truth." She cries down the phone. "You never used to do this to me. You used to care about what I wanted, about what mattered to me."

"And I still do." Amelia told her truthfully, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Look, I'm coming home, alright? We can talk about this then." With hesitant agreement from her sister, Amelia glanced back toward where Damon was, beofre grabbing her bag and leaving.

She needed to check on her sister. The fight they were having could wait.

******

Amelia held the box in her hands shakily. She had came into the kitchen to make Candice food, hoping she could use it as a peace offering, so they could talk about everything calmly. Now, she stood holding the cure to vampirism in her hands, with her sister looking at it in confusion from behind her.

"What's that?" Candice asked, walking up behind her.

Amelia swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, as she picked up the red vial. "I-It's, uh... it's the cure to vampirism."

Suddenly, it all began to make sense in her head. The questions about being human, the arguments about their future, about her settling. All the what if's had now became a reality. All it would take was for her to take the cure, and she'd be human. Closing the box, she shot her sister an apologetic look, before running out in search of the Salvatore.

She found him by the fireplace with Lily, in the middle of a discussion about something. IN the moment, she didn't care.

"Damon." She stated, making him turn to face her. His eyes narrowed on the box, realization of his Mother's actions slowly hitting him. "Damon, is this-"

"The cure to vampirism." Lily answered for her, as Candice walked in behind her sister. "I left it out for you to find since Damon was never going to offer it to you. He intended to give it to Elena, so she could have the human life that she truly wants."

Amelia could feel her heart break within her chest, as she looked at Damon, pure hurt in her eyes. "Is that true?" She asked, her voice thick with emotion. She didn't want it to be true, she didn't want him to suddenly pick Elena over her. "Damon, is it true?"

"Amelia, I can explain." He told her, feeling guilty as he saw the look on her face.

"Looks like you two have a lot to talk about." Lily said, walking toward Candice and leading her out of the room.

Slowly, the girl sat herself down on the couch in front of the fire, holding the cure in her hands as she stared at it. All she had for Lily's words repeating in her head over and over again, making her assume that she was right. He was going to give the cure to Elena, give her the life tha everyone knew she truly wanted.

"So, that whole five year fantasy game, an all that talk about our future and what I really want." She began, breaking the silence they'd settled into.

"Not so subtle, in hindsight." He admitted awkwardly, standing behind her.

She fiddled with the small vial, turning to face the Salvatore. "You know, I'd never thought I'd see this again." She admitted honestly. "I thought it was gone forever."

"That makes two of us. My Mother threatened that today..." He trailed off, staring at it himself. "And I didn't stop her."

"Why?" She asked, rising to her feet. "Why have all these conversations with me, fight with me about it. Why?"

"Because your fantasy five years from now scared the hell out of me." He admitted to her truthfully. "I panicked."

"Damon, it was a dumb fantasy." She sighed. "It was a fantasy of a life I'm okay not having. In reality, five years from now, I'm still a vampire and I'm with you. That is all that I could ever want."

He slowly walked toward her, placing his hands on her shoulders, and she didn't shrug out of his hold. "That is all I want. All I see in five years from now is you. You saw an entire future, and I want you to have that. I want you to be able to have a human life, and grow old with your sister if she ever wants to stop being immortal. I want that for you."

"I don't want that if I don't have you!" She shouted, losing her temper, tears falling silently down her cheeks. "You know I don't want that. Why would I ever want that? What I don't get is, why you would have all these conversations and fights with me, then I have to learn you want to give this to Elena? What is it? You know with her you could have this happy, human future?"

He stared at her in disbelief, desperately shaking his. "No, I was going to give it to Elena because I know she wants it. I wasn't going to tell you because I'm an idiot, and I'm selfish and I'm so in love with you that I don't want to lose you either." He promised her wholeheartedly, cupping her face in his hands.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you won't lose me, until you believe me?" She asked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. "Because it is the truth. If Candice ever wants to stop being immortal, I will deal with it with you by my side. I don't want this, Damon. So, go, give it to Elena. Hell, give it to Bonnie's Mom, or Caroline. Give it to someone who wants and deserves it."

Uncupping his hands from her face, she put the cure into his hands. "Do it, Damon. I don't want this. I don't want to live without  you." Stroking his face with her hands, she pulled him into a long, hard kiss. "I love you."

A lazy smile appeared on his lips, as they leaned their foreheads together. "I love you too."

3 chapters and an epilogue left!

I hope you all enjoy!