A/N: Hi! So I got this idea while I was thinking of an au fanfic I could make, originally I was going to go with the idea of making a story where Elena interrupts Stefan and Caroline's wedding but then this idea hit me of what if Damon died instead of Stefan. I have no idea how long this story is going to be, because normally when I write I rush things along so I can get my happy stelena but i'm going to try slow this story down. I promise towards the end this is going to be heavy stelena. Normally I write in first person so writing in third person is going to be weird, but i'm going to try it and if I don't like it i'll switch to first. Alas, this scene begins in the middle of 8x16 when Damon is compelling Stefan to walk out of the tunnels, enjoy!

"You walk out of these tunnels and you are not going to stop until my death breaks the compulsion, because I am the big brother. I'm sorry I wasn't better at it until now. I said go. Go!" Damon compelled Stefan. Damon wasn't always the best big brother, he did spend a century and a half making sure Stefan's life was hell, but he wanted to make up for this now. He wanted to give his brother the life he always deserved, free of any vampire drama, love triangles and ripper binges. He wanted to make it all right.

Stefan felt like breaking down, he hated himself so much in this moment. He had been alive for 171 years, a vampire for the majority of them, he should have known to take vervain. Why didn't he take vervain. He knew he had been too caught up with everything to take vervain, he had planned a wedding to lure out his ex girlfriend who he killed, it must have slipped his mind. So now, when he's walking out of those tunnels all he can feel is guilt. All he wants to do is turn around and push his brother out of the way, and save him, but he couldn't. He tried hard to fight the compulsion, but no matter how hard he forced himself he just couldn't. He thought back to the time when he had managed to resist compulsion for Elena, but it was easier then, he was a vampire. He could stake himself to hold him back, now he can't do anything, just like how in the end he couldn't do anything to stop him from biting Elena.

Elena.

Stefan silently cried when he thought of her, he had ruined her life by not being able to save his brother. When she woke up, whenever that would be, she would have to be told the love of her life died. He briefly thought about what Elena's future would look like now, he wondered if he would have a place in it but he thought it was selfish for him to think like that. Maybe now Elena could finally get the human life she deserved, she could marry a normal boy who's only baggage was his dead cat. Maybe she would ask Caroline to compel her memories away, giving her a chance at a normal life. But he knows that Elena wouldn't want that, she would rather die before she forgot everything that happened in the last few years. It would be unfair to take that away from her, and it would make him feel even more guilty.

Stefan finally reached the Salvatore boarding house, everyone he knew was running for their lives. Knowing that if Bonnie failed, hell fire would wipe out the entirety of Mystic Falls. But Stefan knew deep down that Bonnie wouldn't fail, she never fails. Stefan knew by now Damon would either be waiting to die or he would already be dead. Vampirism can protect them from drowning, suffocating and broken necks, so why the hell cant it protect them against fire. Stefan heard his phone ringing but he ignored it, he felt guilty. Knowing that Caroline was probably out of her mind worried about him. But he needed space, he needed to grieve in his own way.

Stefan remembered the last time his brother died, or at least he thought he died, he completely ran away from everything and everyone. The thought of that happened again scared Stefan, because he knew this time was permanent and he didn't want to be alone. He thought about Caroline, he knew there was no way they could ever be together. Caroline had her own life now, she had her kids and she spoke about wanting to start a magic school. Helping witch children keep in control of their powers. But most importantly, he was human and she was vampire. They could have a few years before people started to notice, he was getting older and she wasn't. And he couldn't keep travelling around with her until he was 80, Stefan knew he had to end it with Caroline. But he just didn't want to risk losing a person.

Stefan slowly felt himself drifting off into sleep, he wished it would be a peaceful one but he knew that all he would dream about is his brother. That wasn't a dream, that was a nightmare.

"Stefan." He heard someone whisper. He just ignored it, wanting to go back to sleep. Sleep was the only place he didn't have to feel anything.

"Stefan." Someone repeated, only louder this time. He opened his eyes to see Caroline staring down at him, smiling. "Hey." She whispered, sitting down next to him as he sat up.

"I'm still here, I guess that means Bonnie did it." Stefan sadly smiled, he wanted to be strong for Caroline.

"Of course she did it, she's Bonnie Bennett." She said while leaning in for a kiss, Stefan didn't kiss her back though. He knew they needed to break up soon, of course he didn't want too but he knew he had too. "Damon?" Caroline sheeply asked, Stefan just shook his head. "I'm so sorry." She whispered and hugged him, stroking his hair. Stefan didn't feel anything though, if he was still a vampire he would have thought he flipped his humanity switch. But maybe all the pain he's suffered has just made him numb to everything.

He didn't think about his brother though, he thought about his future life. Now that he was a human he was going to need a few human things, like a birth certificate, a passport and a driving license. He figured Caroline could compel someone to get all those for him easy.

"Hey Caroline? Can I ask a favour." He asked her an she nodded. "I need you to compel a few things for me, a birth certificate, a passport and a driving license. I'm not a vampire anymore, I can't get away without those things now." He explained.

"Sure, i'll do it later today." She smiled

"On the birth certificate, can you make me 20 years old?" Stefan asked, he felt like he was supposed to continue being 17 but what's the point when he's been 17 for a century and a half. At least now he wouldn't have to go back to high school.

"Stefan you can't lie about your age." Caroline said, it felt wrong to him too but then again he had been around all this time. It felt wrong not saying he was 171.

"I know, but I've been 17 for the majority of my life, at least at this age i've done high school and i'm free to do whatever I want." He explains and she nods.

"Fine, but it still feels weird." She made a face and he lightly smiled, his brother still on the back of his mind.

"Can you do it now? Not that I want rid of you or anything, I just want it done." He requested.

"Okay, are you going to be okay alone?" She asked and he nodded. She gave him a quick kiss goodbye and left. He felt bad but he indeed did want Caroline to leave him alone. He felt guilty about being even smiling while his brother was dead, and he didn't know if this was just the grief but he didn't feel as strongly about Caroline as he did yesterday. His life was a mess.

A couple of weeks passed, everyone got back to their boring Mystic Falls lives while Stefan continued to grieve. It hadn't gotten any easier, but that isn't surprising. Caroline noticed that Stefan had been very distant with her, she figured it was just the grief but Stefan knew it was more than that. He needed to break up with her, luckily for him their marriage hadn't been real. They discussed it the night before and decided they wanted their wedding to be real, not some event to draw out the leader of hell. So they said a few fake words and that was it, which means he didn't have to go through the stress of a divorce too.

Stefan wanted out of Mystic Falls, but there was one thing keeping him back. Elena. Bonnie was working on a spell to awake her, she figured if she had the power to destroy hell she could wake someone up from a sleeping beauty spell. Stefan knew Elena would want someone familiar with her when she woke up, Bonnie was planning on travelling the world as soon as the spell was done and Caroline was moving with Ric to start their school. Caroline didn't know that Stefan wasn't going with her, but that was a conversation for another day.

Stefan thought about asking Elena to move with him, he know it would be selfish to ask but he figured she would want a friend there. And he really did have no intention of sticking around, everything reminded him of Damon and he couldn't take it. Stefan already knew where he was moving too, Beaufort in South Carolina. It seemed like a nice place to start his new life, it wasn't a big city but it wasn't empty like the country. It was just what he wanted, a small town where everyone knew each other but they weren't too in your face. He wanted to start a new life which meant new friends but he wouldn't know what to do if anyone asks about his past, or ask if he has any family.

Stefan was at the salvatore boarding house, he didn't know what to do with this place. It had so many memories that he didn't want to leave behind but everywhere he went there was a reminder of Damon. He couldn't ever drink bourbon again. All he knew is that he wasn't going to sell it, he thought about leaving it behind but he couldn't stand to think about it being that old abandoned big house that kids sneak into. He was probably going to give it to Caroline, maybe she could extend her magic school to a magic hotel. No matter what happens between them he knows she's always going to remain a good friend and she'd always take care of this place.

He thought about Caroline and got sad, knowing that in a few years time she was going to have to move on from Mystic Falls like he had too previously. He knew she mad memories of her deceased parents and friends here, everyone was going to have to leave them all behind and that scared him. Being a human scared him, not having his brother scared him, starting a new life scared him. He couldn't stop feeling scared.

He got a call from Caroline saying Bonnie was going to try again with Elena today, of course he wants to see Elena but in a way he's scared for that too. Who's going to tell her about Damon, is she going to immediately hate him for not saving Damon. He should have fought the compulsion, no he should have taken vervain. He tried to stop thinking about all the things he should have done different, it's not like he can change what happened. He never can. So he gets dressed and heads over to the house they were keeping Elena in. They didn't want to keep her in the Salvatore boarding house, incase she has a break down because everything in there reminds her of Damon. Stefan couldn't believe she had to lose Damon again, she's been through so much.

When he got to the house he saw Caroline sat outside, he had been avoiding her and felt guilty when he saw her.

"We need to talk." She says and he sits down next to her.

"I, I don't think we should be together anymore." He whispers, not wanting to make eye contact.

"I know, I agree with you." She says which surprises him, he expected a little more arguing. "I know you need space after what happened with Damon, and I don't hold that against you but I need to move on with my life. Yes I miss Damon and would do anything to get him back but there's nothing we can do, and I have kids to think about. And besides you're human now, we would have had to break up soon anyway." She explains.

"I completely agree with you." He says whilst smiling.

"Friends?" She asks, already knowing the answer.

"Always, until the day I die." He replies. She smiles at him but deep down he's scared again, he knew that even though he was a vampire he couldn't live forever but now he knows he's going to die. He's probably going to die of old age but he thinks he deserves a lot worse death than that after the life he's had.

Suddenly Bonnie comes running out, smiling. "She's awake." She claps her hands together and both Caroline and Stefan jump up. But Bonnies face suddenly drops and she puts a hand out to stop them. "She asked for Damon." She whispered sadly. Damon's death had really hurt Bonnie too, considering he was her best friend. And now it hurts knowing that they all have to go in there and tell Elena that Damon is dead.

"I'll go first." Stefan says, he's nervous to see Elena but also excited. He really missed her but he knows he has to go and tell her the worst thing. He walks in and see's her sat up, looking confused.

"Stefan?"

A/N: So that was chapter 1! Please tell me if you like it, I appreciate feedback. I know at the moment it's quite heavy delena but I wanted to keep it realistic, i'm not going to spoil too much but I promise there will be Stelena.