12: Final Chapter

There will be a time in everyone's life when relationships come to an end.

Elena knew this. But it didn't make it any easier to accept. It wasn't comforting to know that someone who you can spend years getting to know and sharing personal information with...could suddenly be gone from your life.

Yet, since her parent's car went off the Wickery Bridge, it seems all she has done is say goodbye to people. Even her brother Jeremy, away at art school, has trouble staying gone for longer than a few months at a time. Her constant phone calls, and the fact that she lives with his ex-girlfriend, are the only things that allow him to feel okay about staying away from home and pursuing his dream.

She feels that it should become easier over time to leave people. Or better yet, to be okay with people leaving. There should be some trick that she is missing.

As she stares into Stefan's green eyes, the same kind and magnetizing ones as her boyfriend Tom, she knows there is no trick. Her heart clenches while he pulls her into a tight hug, whispering that Tom is the better man and she deserves nothing less than the perfect human life. Her eyes begin to fill with tears as she wraps her arms around his body, not wanting to let go.

Even without her memories back, she knows that he helped her cope with her parent's death. He helped her believe in love again. His selflessness at this moment only furthered that belief. It wasn't fair. He didn't deserve to die. She just got him back.

Elena didn't want to date him. If anything, she missed her friend. She would always love him, but she wasn't in love with him. Slowly, Elena pulled away from the hug, attempting to smile through her tears. She wanted to ask him to stay. He deserved to live his life to the fullest too. But she didn't. She knew that it wasn't her decision to make. He wasn't meant to live this long, and it was extraordinary that she was able to meet him.

Stefan reached forward and brushed away one of her tears, giving her a half-smile, "You won't be sad forever, Elena," His eyes glance over to Tom with the hope that he will be able to see her smile one last time before he goes. Thankfully, she does. She smiles and shakes her head, sniffling as she wipes some of her tears. Stefan smiles back, knowing that even if she doesn't remember him saying that on their first unofficial date, maybe she will believe it again. Stefan turns to Tom, who was giving them a little space, and nods once to acknowledge him, "Hey, I know this must be weird, but—"

"No, not weird at all. Just...seeing a very handsome guy appear and disappear. Like walking past a mirror every day, right?" Tom shrugs, walking next to Elena. His eyes subtly peer over at her and notice that she is smiling a bit. Tom stares at the ground, failing to hide his own smile.

Stefan chuckles and turns back to Elena, "He's funny. You didn't tell me that,"

"I didn't want you to be jealous. He is funnier than you, after all. Mr. Serious Brooding—" Elena jokes through her tears, sniffling a little as he holds up a hand to stop her.

"Okay, I get it," Stefan intently watches the two of them as Elena laughs. He takes note of how Tom stares at her as if she is the most beautiful sunset--believing that if he looks away for even a second, she'll disappear behind the clouds, and he will miss her flaming light. Elena's eyes are puffy and red from crying, but her smile is so captivating that one wouldn't even realize she had been crying moments before. At this moment, Stefan knew Elena would be okay. Tom seems to find new ways to make her laugh especially during devastating moments. Stefan feels good about this decision despite the fact that it feels like an anvil is on his chest.

Not out of jealousy toward their relationship but simply envious of what he was deprived of. He feels warm knowing that Elena, despite all she has been through, will finally get her happy ending.

"No, Klaus—" Caroline groans as he ignores her and continues walking.

"Please, love, he will be happy to see me—Stefan!" Stefan hesitates before turning to the sound, forcing a smile on his face.

Just a little longer, Stefan thinks while bracing himself for whatever was going to come next.

Klaus' arms are out to the side, and Tom barely has a moment to comprehend that he was going to be hugged. Tom pats him on the back awkwardly and glances over at Elena for help. She is covering her mouth to hide her smile, not necessarily knowing what to do in this situation. Klaus pulls away from the hug with a smile, holding onto Tom's arms, but not understanding the frightening facial expression staring back at him. He finally looks to his right, where Elena stands. She simply points to his left and Stefan has his back turned, trying to make himself as small as possible once he noticed that Klaus hugged the wrong person.

He doesn't mind Klaus. In fact, he does remember all the fun that they used to have together, but those were also some of his darkest moments. He doesn't want to relieve those right before dying...again. He doesn't want to think about how he enjoyed torturing people and ripping apart their—

His thoughts are cut off by Klaus' laughter. "Stefan has a doppelganger too," He says as a statement rather than a question before smiling at Elena, "Guess now you don't have to choose anymore, huh? You have two Stefans at your disposal!" His face has a permanent smile that Elena wants to smack off of him. How dare he come in and make this all about her. This is about Stefan.

"Klaus," Caroline butts in, placing his hand in hers, "you've met Tom before, remember?" She tries to keep her voice low, but everyone hears her anyway. She isn't exactly known for being quiet.

"Hmm," His eyes move up and down Tom's physique, causing him to shuffle toward Elena. He wasn't sure how vampires work. Especially original vampires. Is that how they assess their prey before killing them? He wasn't willing to find out. "Sorry, don't remember. Guess you weren't as memorable as Stefan over here,"

"I'm here, sorry," Bonnie announces as she walks through the door with Enzo, "I had to—" She stops herself, practically feeling the tension as everyone seems to be in battle stances. Each on different sides and each seething with anger. "What is Klaus doing here?" Once she noticed Klaus' grin, it wasn't hard to figure out that he was the one to start chaos...again. What Caroline sees in him, Bonnie will never understand.

"Moral support," He says in response, but Bonnie rolls her eyes. She doesn't have time for his bullshit right now. She has a job to do. "Sorry about that," he says to Tom, "I guess I am used to seeing these lovebirds attached at the hip,"

"Klaus, we haven't been a couple in—"

"Look, we can sit here and argue with Klaus all night—and something tells me, he will gladly abide—or we can get started," Bonnie announces, lighting her candles and opening her spellbook. She pulls a shiny object out of it.

A knife.

Elena's throat quickly becomes dry. Her voice is hoarse as she asks, "Why do you have that?"

"How did you think he was going to crossover? I brought him back from the dead, Elena," Bonnie's tone is matter-of-fact as if she couldn't believe it was a question. She never said this would be easy.

"It's okay. It's the right thing to do. I should've died a long time ago," Stefan's words are being projected to everyone, but it doesn't take a genius to know that he is solely comforting Elena. She is the one who feels the most guilt for not letting go and allowing herself to believe that she is the reason he never moved on.

"Who should..." Caroline drifts off, her eyes scanning everyone, wondering who was going to speak out first. Elena holds onto Tom's hand, worried that she will be asked to do it. To kill her first love.

Enzo gives a sly smile, "I have no problem volunteering," Stefan looks at him with a blank stare, not understanding why Enzo dislikes him but refusing to entertain him with a bigger reaction.

Bonnie sits on the floor, ignoring the current dilemma, and lights the candles that are in a circle around her. She reaches out her hand, making eye contact with Stefan. He steps toward her, placing his hand comfortably on top of hers, both of their palms touching. Bonnie looks up at him through her lashes, an eyebrow raised before turning his hand over. He smiles and shrugs before she uses the knife to cut across his palm. She allows the blood to run over the pages, quietly reciting the spell.

Stefan takes a deep breath, practically choking on it as he disappears in thin air.

It happened so quickly that if someone happened to look away for a split second, they would've missed it. There was no time to process, and Elena hopes that means that it was not painful. She turns and hugs Tom, feeling her heart ache for the Stefan that she had come to know, not the one she used to date. The one who she visited in her dreams and respected her new relationship.

A friend.

Her memories of the Salvatore brothers are still lost, but her knowledge of who they were to her and how they helped her live would stay with her forever. 

THE END