"What happened? Why am I here right now?"

It's been only few seconds since I bumped into Stefan as it happened when we met for the first time. The moment I saw his smile after a long time, I couldn't not to smile back. I felt safe. And good.

But something went wrong. I can feel it.

"I don't know about Bonnie, but Damon..."

Stefan's smile disappeared when he started to explain me what exactly happened. Something was really bothering him.

"I don't understand..."

He was trying to tell me about Damon trying to save the town... And him being a human now, vervain... I was confused.

"So Damon is okay?"

I asked with relief when I knew that his brother is okay, he is alive...

"But... You... You are..."

But then something even worse hit me. I understood what Stefan was trying to tell me this entire time. My first epic love, my best friend is... He is...

"No... Stefan..."

Dead.

Stefan is the one who saved the town at the end of the day. He stopped Damon from doing it so I will get a chance to see what kind of a man his brother became.

"He is a better man now".

He smiled, looking at me, while my tears were falling on my cheeks. I could see that he is proud of his brother. He had a chance to see a brother he was looking up for when he was a kid. His brother just came back to him and Stefan already has to say goodbye.

"It's good to see you, Elena"

He touched my cheek gently, wiping a tear from it. I could feel it. His touch. His warm, caring and gentle touch.

"One last time"

He was staring deep into my eyes with his pure, beautiful green eyes and that warming hearts smile that I missed so much.

It can't be the last time I see him, can it? There's no way in the world that I see these eyes for the last time... And this touch... God, I don't want him to remove his hand.

But he did. I could feel the emptiness right away. Like someone teared a part from me.

Stefan smiled at me one last time and slowly started to walk away to the exit of the place where we first met that now about to become the last place I saw him at.

FEW YEARS FORWARD

I am sitting at the cemetery, at the same place where I was sitting after my first day of school when the journey that changed my entire life began, in front of my parents's memorials.

Even after such a long time, I still have my diary with me. Everywhere and always. I guess that part of me is never going to change.

Dear diary,

That's my life. Weird, messy, complicated, sad, amazing and above all - epic. And I owe it all to Stefan.

When I met him, I had lost my parents and I was dead inside, but he brought me back to life. And even that we had good and bad times, together and apart, at the end of the day, I couldn't let him go.

FLASHBACK

Stefan was so close to the exit and with his every step I wanted to tell him to stop. Is it really the last time I see him? Does that mean I will never be able to talk to him again? Hear his laugh or see his smile that makes you forget all the bad things?

And then I realized it. Hard and clear. I can't do it. I can not let him go. I shouldn't. Because the thing is...

I never stopped loving him.

Yes, we both moved on with our lives, we fell in love again and we were happy, but... I can't live my life without him. I can not come back to the world where there is no Stefan Salvatore. I don't want to.

Maybe I realized it too late. Maybe it's too late to fix everything, but there is still "maybe"... What if it's not too late?

"Stefan. Wait"

He was two steps away from the door when he heard my voice and stopped.

I knew I can not waste any second. I had wasted around seven years without him. I can't lose another minute.

He slowly turned to me when I started to walk towards him. With every step I walked faster until I ended up running to him.

Stefan didn't look confused. Seeing me running to him, he started to walk fast towards me as well until with no other words, after too long period of time, I could feel his soft lips on mine again.

With no words, we understood each other right away. I wanted this. He wanted this. We both waited for that moment way too long.

He pulled me closer when I did the same. Our kiss said everything - we missed each other. So much. His lips and touches brought me back to all the happy times we had together. How could I leave him like that back then? How could I give up on something so epic and real?

He didn't want to let go of me and me neither. We wanted it to last forever, but it is impossible. Or maybe... it isn't?

FEW YEARS FORWARD

Peace exists. It lives in everything we hold dear. That is the promise of peace. That one day, after long life, we'll see each other again.

"Are you ready?"

Just when I finished writing on my last empty page of the diary, I heard the voice I loved the most.

I looked up and noticed right away my favorite smile in the whole world. He was standing not so far in front of me and smiled. I couldn't resist it. I smiled back. I felt the happiest woman ever.

"Yes, I'm coming".

I stood up after I put my diary in the bag and started to walk towards my man who was already waiting for me with outstretched hand.

We started to walk out of the cemetery, holding hands, and it reminded me the day when I thought that I'm not going to see him again. The day when I realized that he is the one and the only for me, that he is the love of my life. That day, even after his long attempts to dissuade me from my sudden decision, we took each other's hand and walked towards the light.

That day, Stefan and I found our peace together. I reunited with my family - my mom, my dad, Jenna and even John. We met Enzo, Vicki and Taylor. We invited them to my parents's house multiple times to hang out with us on the porch, my mom would make us some tea and we all play different games.

Mystic Falls is the same here. Same streets, parks and of course our favorite "Mystic Grill" that we use to visit a lot like back in high school.

Sometimes we all just sit on the porch and talk about our dear friends we miss so much. Of course we haven't forgotten them. We kept watching after them, making sure that they are doing fine. They forgave me. I got their forgivness. After all, we all want the same thing for each other - happiness.

Bonnie decided to go on a trip around the world as she promised to Enzo, but she didn't go alone. Damon joined her. After he excepted the fact he is a human again, his new goal in life was to visit new places he's never been at.

Their best friend's trip turned to be something more. After few years of traveling together, Damon and Bonnie got married at Europe. Obviously Caroline didn't let them organize it on their own. Even that the guest list was very short, it ended up being the most beautiful wedding.

By the way, Caroline opened the school for gifted kids like Lizzie and Jozzie. Stefan thinks she's doing a great job. He is so thankful to her. After all, she fulfilled his dream.

Hope Michaelson, Klaus' daughter, joined to the school as well, and that brought him back to Caroline's life. Since then, their mutual eternity began.

I couldn't be more proud of Matt. He became the sherif of Mystic Falls. I know he is the best person for this post. He deserve it. And now, he also has someone who supports and loves him completely. Caroline decided to try a role of a matchmaker for Matt and I guess she did a good job because she is the one who met between him and his present fiancé.

What about Alaric? Well, something that I would never expect to happened - he started to teach at Mystic Falls high school again and somehow he still has time to be a perfect dad.

We are all proud of them and wait for them, but only after they will live a long and happy life.

When Stefan and I want to run away from everything for awhile, we leave our house, the Salvatore mansion, and go to the hike where I told him for the first time that I don't wanna be a vampire.

This is also our favorite place to see the sunset and we decided to come here today.

"This is it".

I said while we both were standing on the cliff, waiting for the sunset.

"It is only the beginning".

Said Stefan and while we both were looking ahead, I couldn't not to see with the corner of my eyes his smile.

"And now we have our forever. But after all, despite everything we've been through, it was feeling..."

"Epic".

I looked at him, catching him already looking at me with his beautiful smile.

"Yes", I said and smiled back at him after he completed my though, "It was feeling epic".

Stefan hugged me and kissed my temple, as I wrapped my arms around his waste. We kept standing there and after I leaned my head against his chest, we watched the sunset together, without letting each other go.

THE END

AUTHORS NOTE

Hey, guys! Thank you so much for reading it. I always was and always will be STELENA fan. For me they are always gonna be the endgame.

Leave a comment about what you think about my perfect ending. xoxo

PS - Please let me know if you want me to turn it into a story that will be about a new journey of these characters.