A/N: While reading this chapter I would recommend you listen to Say Something because it fits a lot of the plot line. This story is dedicated to Tara_Is_A_Unicorn and dorothyfriar because they ship Stelena more than anyone I know.

There's one thing in the world I'm afraid of. That's losing him, because if I lose him, he's bound to forget about me. Thinking about it, I had to blink back tears because it was too terrifying. He knows me better than anyone, always had, always will. I tried to push the thoughts from my head as I sent him multiple text messages for the past hour and no response. "Please, Stefan. Just say something. I'm getting worried sick," I said to myself, hoping he would be able to somehow hear me telepathically.

I was getting tired of pacing around in my bedroom and decided to do some action. Jumping off of the bed and throwing my hair up in a braid, I quickly threw my jacket over my shoulders and followed the same path I go down every day to the Salvatore Boarding House.

I quickly opened the door, not even worrying if I was exerting too much energy on it. "Damon!" The older brother that somehow my best friend had fallen in love with, not that I was minding, had finally appeared. "Where is he?" I demanded, not in the mood for any of his small talk. He had a confused look on his face, so I sighed before elaborating. "I've tried texting and calling him, and I'm not getting anything. I will ask you this one more time, where. Is. He?" I wanted to shake him! How could you be so stupid to be radio silent when it comes to your brother and not be the least bit concerned?

"Elena, I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is," Damon uttered exasperated. I just rolled my eyes. It was in a very Damon-like fashion for the details like this to easily slip through his brain. "I spent the entire day with Bonnie."

"Okay, well I've talked to everyone and they haven't seen or heard from here," I said. It took everything in me not to explode in a full-blown panic attack. After all, this was the love of my life we were talking about here.

"Okay, I'll keep a look out on him," Damon told me, in what he must have thought to have been a reassuring voice. "I'll also call Klaus and see if he's heard anything. Stefan's more likely to come to him than me, anyway." I squirmed a bit because the comment had hit me hard, whether Damon had meant for it to or not.

Speaking of Klaus, the reason he was back in Mystic Falls was because a very distraught Caroline practically begged him to after everything in her life seemed to fall to pieces. The hybrid was madly in love with her, and everyone could see it from a mile away. They had rekindled their lost love, currently going on three months as a couple.

"Well," I said, since he clearly wasn't trying as hard as I was, "I'll keep looking. Let me know if you here anything." Damon just nodded as I went back to my house, hoping to calm my nerves.

Making it back home, Stefan still lingered in the back of my mind. However, it wasn't helping the dancing threads of darkness that were up, taunting me about the possibility that something horrific could or did happen. "Just shut up!" I screamed, the tears now pooling out at their own free will.

The tidal wave of memories had then attacked me. When we first met, first kiss, when he asked me out, our first fight...everything. The sobs were wracking my entire body now and I knew there was nothing to do to stop them. Except maybe him.

I had finally calmed myself down eventually. I wasn't even counting how long it had taken, however; it could've been seconds, minutes, hours. I guess that was the one good thing about the tears: They had distracted me from the one thing that had made them run ramped in the first place. Anything is better than...that.

Taking out my phone, I dialed both Caroline and Bonnie's numbers, hoping they would take up my offers of ice cream. As the thought crossed my mind, my stomach must have seemed to agree with a loud growl had escaped. After getting their consent, I had started my journey to accompany them and fill my head with happy thoughts.

They all ran up and hugged me once I came up into their visual, which was exactly what I needed. They truly were the best people in my life and I had no idea what I would do without them. "I love you guys. I really do," my voice mumbled into their hair.

"Well, we love you too, E," they both said in perfect unison, which resulted in us laughing. Gosh, I've missed this, I thought to myself, smiling for the first time in hours. Just like how things—no, don't go there, my brain scolded me. Happy thoughts, only happy thoughts.

After we had ordered our ice cream, we chose a small quaint table on the inside to just catch up. "So," I addressed Bonnie, "spending the entire day with Damon, huh? I expect you two are getting pretty serious. Care to correct me?" I teased, raising an eyebrow, while smirking at her. The blush that was clearing heating up her face as though it was the sun was evidence enough. However, what fun would it be if I let it stop there?

Caroline was quick to see what I was getting it and thought she would throw some shots at our love-struck best friend. "Hey Bon, who knew you would go from being at his throat to sticking your tongue down his throat?" I giggled a little bit at the comment, silently wishing I would have invented in the first place.

"Guys, this isn't funny!" the witch had blurted. Although, it was easy to see that she was trying her hardest to not join into their giggle party as well. "Damon's a good guy when it comes to me, and I honestly haven't been happier." The both of us surrounding her at the table were finally thrilled that Bonnie had found someone. All of the boys she had dated in her past were absolutely awful and she, more than anyone they knew, didn't deserve that.

"We know, we really do. This is why we're making such a big deal about it," I said. "Everyone deserves to find their epic love, no matter who and how long it takes." I then took my hand and moved all of our fingers to the middle, interlocking them. I had found Stefan, Caroline with Klaus, and finally, Bonnie with Damon. Things truly were looking up for us after all the hardships we had gone through together.

"Well, thank you guys," Bonnie had said, the smiling from talking about Damon still showing in her lips, as well as her eyes.

Both Caroline and I smiled at her. After that we had just continued with the small talk until it came time for us to part our separate ways again.

On my way back home, I passed why the cemetery, letting my eyes linger on it for longer than it usually. I still remember the day like it was yesterday. What I thought was gonna be the worst year of my life actually turned out to be my best.

I decided to take a stroll through the cemetery,—or as some would more fittingly call it, memory lane. I took in all the extra names that had been added too our family plot, really making me realize how much has truly changed over the years. When I finally found that spot...the spot that changed my life forever. It was the spot where I had bumped into Stefan, not once, but twice on the same day.

"I'm Elena."

"I'm Stefan."

"I know. We have History together."

"And English and French."

It was funny, the ripple effect of memories. Because just with that one, brought so many more. Stefan and I talking to each other on multiple occasions just when it was the two of us, trying to sound as romantic as possible. What I hadn't known was how many tears had been falling, until I looked down at my shirt and saw it was streaked with black.

I decided to go back home for the rest of the day, get out of this outfit, and hope to cure my worrisome mind.

Now lying in bed, I was listening to Say Something. Oddly enough, it seemed to let me relax a lot more than stress, considering how emotional the song was. I guess it worked because I had easily let my eyes flutter close and sleep overtook my body.

The dreams hadn't encompassed the demons that had hounded my brain throughout the day either. We were sitting by the pool with our feet in the water as we talked about our memories. It almost seemed like a twisted modern day version of when we took the vacation to my family's lake-house. Out of nowhere, he had come up behind me and put his hands on my back, letting my body fall straight into the water.

"Stefan, come on! Was this really appropriate for you to do right!" I questioned him, moving †he mop of hair out of my face.

"Why yes, my love," he whispered in my neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.

I then playfully slapped him, sending water flying into both of our faces. "You're a horrible person," I teased, trying to keep my face as straight as possible.

"If I was a terrible person, would you let me do this?" He bent his neck down to kiss my lips and I happily recuperated, letting myself melt into his embrace.

"I love you so much," I whispered against his lips. "I haven't been happier than I am right now, and I just want to say thank you for that."

"Elena, you're my best and you've always been my best friend. Now and forever," the smile on his face growing bigger as he looked down at the diamond ring on my finger. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I am too, but Stefan," I started, my voice starting to crack at the words that were trying to form, "what if I'm not good enough?"

He looked at me, tears forming in his eyes. "Babe, where is this coming from? You've been an amazing girlfriend to me, and that's not going to change once we're married, I promise." I felt his fingers make their way up and down my hair as he continued to talk to me. "I proposed to you because I love you more than anything in the world, and you are the one thing that truly makes me happy.

"I'm just worried that everything's going to change," I whispered lightly, tears falling down his chest.

"Those are just words, Elena. Words don't change people."

I just simply nodded in his chest. "I know it was stupid, and I was overreacting." A smile formed on my lips. "Caroline's just being so OCD about helping planning the wedding; I guess it just got the better of me."

"Oh yes," Stefan joined me in the laughing fit about Caroline's wedding planning skills. "It doesn't help that's she has practically all the best caters from New Orleans that Klaus gave her to use."

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed, remembering that detail. "I completely forget!"

"Don't worry," Stefan replied. "I'll talk to Klaus and have him back sure Caroline doesn't go too overboard," he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I'll make sure they make everything go just the way you want it to."

"Of course you will," I smirked. "After all, you have Klaus wrapped your little finger, don't you?"  Both Caroline and I liked take any possible opportunity to tease the both of them about their epic bromance.

"Now, Elena," he said, steadily reaching out to my hands. "I would have still asked you to marry even if I knew the couple's surprise visit down here."

"Whatever you say," I said dreamily. "As long as I don't have to worry about the either of you cheating. Then, Carelena may happen as revenge," I smirked, using the 'ship' name we called each other occasionally.

"Okay, okay, That's fair," he said. "Come on, though. I don't want you to get all pruney."

He had helped me out of the pool, wrapping me in a towel and we made our way back to the Boarding House.

We had decided to cuddle in front of the fireplace since the pool had chilled us both to the core.

"I remember the last time we were in front of this," the love of my life whispered. "It was when we getting the flashbacks and our human lives flashed before our lives."

"Mhm," I nodded. "It was also when I was stupid enough to date your brother."

"It doesn't matter now though. We found each again and that's all that matter," he mused. Stefan always was the optimist, and that was just another thing I loved the most about him. He could help take my mind off of all the awful things that were going on in our messed up lives. "Nothing's gonna tear us apart anymore. I won't let it; I've lost you too many times."

"Has anyone ever told you how poetic you are?" I smiled. "You have such a way with words, it makes me second guess which of should be an author."

"I guess I've just picked up on some stuff by spending so much time with you."

"Smooth," I chuckled. "Very, very smooth." I strained my neck and pressed our lips together. "You should charm me like this more often."

"If that's what you want.  Happy life, happy wife, remember?"

"And don't you ever forget it."

"You know I won't. I've remembered every single thing you've said to me. I'm certainly not planning on stopping now," he whispered, now stroking my hair. "I've wanted a forever with you for as long as I can remember, and I'm finally getting it. Everything else seems so insignificant. Have I ever mentioned you're the only thing worth living for?"

"Maybe once or twice," I smiled. "I feel the same way though. I never want us to be apart. It shakes the entire balance of the universe, doesn't it?"

"That's what happens when your doppelgänger soulmates," he quipped. "I still would've fallen, though," he said, pushing a strand of hair out of face and whispered into my ear, "because, you, Elena Marie Gilbert, are the most extraordinary girl to have ever lived on the planet. Anyone who doesn't see it is an idiot." He truly didn't the effect he had on me by saying those words. After going through everything Damon put me through, it destroyed. Being back with Stefan was like a breath of fresh air.

"That's the nicest thing someone could have every said to me. You know that?"

He was about to say something else, but it caught off with the sound of beeping cutting him.

I was abruptly awoken by the sound of the beeping. Looking over, I saw that my phone was going off. Groggily, I reached over to grab it and answer the call. I lost my breath at the name of the Caller ID: Stefan. "Where have you been?" I spoke into the phone, my voice sounding concerned. "I've been worried sick. My mind had been racing all day long, afraid that something had happened to you," I said, happy to just hear the sound of him breathing.  "Please come home," I whispered at the end, a sob escaping my throat.

"Elena, I can't," he said firmly. "I want to, but you have to trust me on this, okay?"

"S-Stefan, what? Where is—where is this coming from? Please, tell me something. You're scaring me." The tears were now falling harder, although I tried to keep them as quiet as possible.

"Elena, just turn on the news," he said into the phone, breathing heavily. I did as he instructed, and I saw the headline: Animal Attacks Returning to Mystic Falls. "Elena, are you seeing this?"

I nodded through the phone, unaware he couldn't see me. "Yeah, I'm seeing this," I let out in a low whisper. "What's the point though?"

"Elena, I made a wrong decision, and I need to leave for a while. Remember that I love you and remember to bring me back." Then the phone went dead, and I was completely and utterly stunned.

A/N: Sorry, if this isn't as good as my other Stelena stories. I'm so used to writing Human!Stelena AUs, that writing them as vampires is quite a change for me. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know