At dinner aside from the siblings talking among themselves, it was quiet and uneventful. Bonnie looked as if she had a lot on her mind and I knew that Kol was the biggest part of it. They still hadn't fixed what broke between them and my heart went out to her "Elena!" I snapped my head over in Klaus' direction, we were in our room and he frowned as he took off his jacket and knelt in front of me rubbing my leg "What's going on" I sighed and ran a hand through my hair "I was just thinking of Bonnie and Kol things are not going well and I want to help" he chuckled a bit and sat next to me on the bed "They'll be fine. I've never seen my brother more devoted to anything in his life, he will forgive her" I nodded and kissed him passionately making sure to push all my feelings for him into the kiss.

"I love you" I whispered against his lips as I pulled away, for a moment we just sat there our foreheads against each others breathing in the silence. When we went to bed I held him tight against me feeling as though if I were to blink he'd disappear. Around here that's what it felt like. Maybe for me that's how it was, when I felt like this about Stefan I was taken away from him to another time. Bonnie when she felt like this about Jeremy she was taken from him and now Kol won't even speak to her. Why is love in our lives so fleeting? Why did it never want to stay? Those were the thoughts I fell asleep with and when I woke I had made up my mind. I would help them fix it, I had to, if we truly didn't have forever to spend in this timeline then I don't want her to leave it without being on good terms with him. I know that would break her heart more than leaving him regardless ever could.

I slipped out of bed in the morning headed straight for her room, when I got there she was looking out at the garden her face tear soaked. She turned when she saw me wiping her face quickly and smiling "Hey Lena" I gave her a small one back and pulled her to sit with me on her bed "Talk to me" I said laying my head on her shoulder "We may never go home now" she said staring into the corner "Without my magic I don't know how we'll ever find it" I laced my fingers with her and looked her in the eyes "We are going to find that tree and we are going to go home. Esther never said you needed magic to find it, I'm sure it would've helped but I know that all hope isn't lost. Every lead you guys were on the brink of you still have, and even if it turns out we do need magic there's no shortage of witches who can help us. I still believe in you and in this" she gave me a look that meant she wasn't convinced but I gave her one right back showing her my resolve.

"Maybe it's time we gave up on going home" she said pulling her hand away from mine "I know you think we can make it work but I'm sorry Elena... I just don't. And the grief that trying to go home has been causing me here I can't let myself believe it anymore. Me and Kol searched that princess' archive for weeks and nothing but more myths and riddles. At this point I'm having a hard time believing that there even is a tree. I wanna fix things with Kol and the best way to do that is to tell him that I've left that life behind and that I'm 1000% focused on building a new one with him" she sighed and played with her daylight ring "I know that's probably not what you wanted to talk about or hear but it's the truth about where I stand. I don't want to look anymore it's exhausting and I won't have to do anything but continuously confront the fact that I don't have my magic anymore" she said standing and moving towards the door "Where are you going" I said as she put her hand on the door handle "To find Kol. And tell him I'm done" she said opening it and closing it leaving me to my thoughts, if she was done how could I ever get home, and even if I could find a way she would only choose to stay.

If she's truly chosen to be done what can I do how can I change her mind? What can I say to her to make her believe that going home is even worth it anymore? How could I say it to her if I hardly believe it myself? I miss my brother but how can I get to him without any leads to the tree? Maybe it was time to let go of the memories of what was, and focus and what I had in front of me. Of who was in front of me. This time at dinner the table was much more lively with Bonnie's laughter and smiles it made my heart warm to see her happy again and to see Kol at her side. This is the life she believed in and who was I to tell her to walk away from it? When they this is who she's decided to spend her life with and now that that means forever why not give her the one she wants? 

"What's on your mind again my love, this is the 2nd dinner I've spent listening to my sister prattle on about nonsensical fantasies with humans" he said with a small chuckle, he walking up next to me on the balcony I was looking out at "This life. I love it" I said turning to face him "Yes but one day you will go back home and you will leave me, and the thought of that haunts me each day. I could never doom my sister to those same thoughts, she'd crumble under the weight of them" he said looking out at the view as I was. I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in as his arms encased me in all the warmth and love I could ever need. And in that moment I knew I had chosen, that I had made up my mind "That is not why I came out here however, I wanted to ask you something" he said pulling away from me and holding my hands in his. 

I frowned and gave him a look as he cleared his throat and shifted from side to side on his feet "I... umm know that you are eventually going to leave me and I can't in good conscious let you go without doing this" I frowned completely confused and slightly nervous now seeing him as nervous as he was "Elena I have loved you more than I thought anything possible and I can't let you leave me without the honor of having you be my wife. Over our travels I've been researching this way witches marry that seals souls together and I-" I cut him off kissing him and pulling him impossibly close. He kissed me back with equal fervor pulling only when he knew I needed air "Of course I will" I whispered smiling against his lips making him pick me up and spin me around "There is no greater happiness for me than being your wife. And it will be forever as I have decided that I will not go home. I want to stay. With you" I said looking up at him searching his eyes for approval, and I didn't wait long as he pulled me into another kiss and another.

This was my life now, and I no longer felt guilty for accepting it as that. After all this time of fighting and keeping Klaus at arm's length to be ready for when the time would come that I would have to leave him. It felt good to just melt in his arms and to give in to the love I know he had for me. And I will love him with all of me, as he deserves as we both do. In this moment I can't imagine it any other way, engaged to married to the one person made for me.