Elena sat on the couch of the Salvatore Boarding house. She sipped blood she'd drained from a blood-bag into a glass leisurely as she read a book. The thought of a cure was long gone, she'd graduated from high school…and everyone had gone their separate ways. Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, and Tyler had all gone off to college. Stefan had left town and asked that no one follow him. After Elena had finally turned her emotions back on, she'd insisted on staying in town. She knew it would be too easy to start over somewhere new and push the emotions away again. She needed to be here...she needed to walk these streets and be in this place and miss her brother...and let herself feel every painful moment of it.
Luckily, when her emotions had come back, the sire bond hadn't. It was broken for good, as far as they knew. It was at that point, she knew she had to make a choice. She knew she would lose one of them...it was inevitable...but she couldn't string them both along. It wasn't fair.
In the end, she'd chose Damon. She loved Stefan...she could never deny that. But when she'd wrapped her mind around the fact that she would certainly lose one of them, her choice had to be Damon. He was her best friend...the one who always understood...even if he didn't agree. She loved Stefan, but it was Damon she couldn't imagine her life without.
But all of that had been nearly a year ago. She and Damon had fallen into some kind of comfortable routine. They lived in the Boarding House together. Elena had her own room...but rarely used it. They were for all intense and purposes...a couple...and a good one at that. Though she could have never imagined Damon Salvatore being a good boyfriend, he'd proved her wrong. They fought, of course and at times, she swore she hated him...but the love always won out...and they always found their way back to each other.
That evening, Damon walked in, waving an envelope. walking over to the couch, he lifted up her legs and plopped down, letting them fall into his lap. "Hi." she smiled. Damon leaned in, giving her a kiss and then taking her glass of blood, he took a sip and handed her the envelope."We got a letter from baby bro." he said. Elena looked it over. "It has your name on it. It's not to me." she said, handing it back to him. Damon sighed and took it back, tearing it open carefully. He turned to look at her for a moment, then began read it aloud.
Damon,
I've spent the last few months traveling around Europe. Though I never believed I would find a place that felt as much like home as Mystic Falls, I finally have. I like being on my own and exploring places I haven't before.
I won't be returning to Mystic Falls. I no longer hold a grudge for you and Elena, but I can't watch you two together. I hope sometime in the future, we'll find a way to be brother's again…but for now, that isn't possible. She's an amazing girl, though…I'm sure you know that as well as I do. Take care of her brother, she deserves someone who loves her as much as you do. I truly, truly wish you two all the best. You have my blessing.
All I ask in return is that you don't look for me. When I'm ready, I'll find you, brother. But for now, we have to go our separate ways. I lived over a hundred years before I knew Elena, yet somehow..I don't quite know who I am without her. Until I figure that out, I can't be your brother.
I hope you two are happy and all is well in Mystic Falls. I'll write again when I can, but please…don't try to find me.
All the best,
Stefan.
Damon cleared his throat when he stopped and Elena reached over, taking his hand. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his shoulder, wrapping both of her arms around one of his. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I know you miss him." she said. Damon shrugged. "Don't do that with me. Don't be the big, bad, vampire. I know you better than that." she said. He nodded slowly and leaned against her. "He gave us his blessing." he said, that crooked smile she'd fallen in love with gracing his lips. Elena returned the smile and nodded. Taking a deep breath, Damon sighed. "So…for now…we'll be happy with that. And someday…we'll see him again." he said, bravely. Elena offered him another smile and nodded again, kissing his shoulder.
Nearly twenty years later, Elena and Damon were living in Miami. When she'd finally learned to control her emotions and not let them overtake her, she had insisted on a fresh start for them. They'd had many fresh starts since then, of course. they could never stay in a place for more than a few years...but they were happy. Elena was writing for a local magazine from home and she and Damon were living in a little condo on the beach. Except for the random robbing of a blood bank, they lived human lives. They made dinner together every night, had friends over, went to the movies, cuddled on the couch. They'd even decided to finally get married. The wedding was only a month away and Elena was overwhelmed with details. There came a knock at the door and she sighed, tearing herself away from her laptop. Damon had gone out for groceries and so she was alone for a while, trying to pick out flower arrangements. "Coming!" she yelled to the person on the other side of the door. When she opened the door, she gasped. "St-Stefan?" she asked. In that moment, she couldn't help herself. She squealed and jumped, wrapping her arms around her long-lost friend. Stefan laughed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close. "What are you doing here?!" she asked. "Oh, come on. You didn't think I was going to miss my big brother's wedding, did you?"