Season 5
Set after 500 Years of Solitude
Out of the Blue
It's been three weeks since Elena Gilbert has finally been able to get her life back. Katherine taking over her body, destroying her reputation, and burning bridges with old friends was one of the most gut wrenching things she'd ever gone through; and she's been through hell. She had made things so uncomfortable for Elena and her friends. Even though everyone knew it was Katherine who had done all those things, it still became awkward around everyone…even Damon. Before Katherine took over her body, Damon broke up with her because he believed she deserved better than him but Elena did remember everything Damon had said before she came back. Damon wanted to get back together and instead "Katherine" aka Elena had told him to pretty much get lost. As for Stefan, things were even more awkward between them. She remembered being alone in the hotel room with him practically throwing herself at him. Even though Stefan tried to be platonic, they ended up sharing a kiss that brought them back to the beginning of their own romance. It may have been Katherine doing the kissing but Stefan thought it was Elena.
She had been avoiding both of them for them for weeks now trying to clear her mind. She was even avoiding her best friend Caroline. She couldn't face her after all those horrible things she did to her, sabotaging her prom dress, calling her names, God- even attacking her mom. She wouldn't even forgive herself. No- she needed some time to be alone. Her life was even more chaotic than ever and she almost lost her life to the one person she hated more than anyone. At least knowing Katherine was dead gave her some peace. She'd been staying with Tyler and Matt these past few weeks and it honestly felt almost like old times minus the fact that she was now a vampire and Tyler was a hybrid. Poor Matt was surrounded by the supernatural, even his friends and family. She was fiercely protective of one of her best friends and determined he would live a normal life as much as he could.
"You okay?" Matt asked her interrupting her thoughts.
Elena looked up and saw Matt leaning on the doorframe looking concerned like he had been for the past few weeks. Matt felt horrible because he was the only one who knew Katherine was taking over her body; except he was compelled to forget once Katherine got what she wanted. Matt hated himself for it but not once did Elena think it was his fault.
"Hey. I'm okay. Just thinking" Elena said.
"You've been doing that a lot lately huh?" Matt asked.
"It's kind of hard not to, given everything that's happened" Elena said.
"Yeah, I know. These past few years alone have had so much drama and…
"Death" Elena finished.
"Yes, a lot of that. Especially for you…I'm sorry Elena" Matt said walking into the room,
"You'd think I'd be used to it by now but it's still excruciatingly painful every time someone close to me dies or leaves" Elena said sitting on the bed.
Matt was standing in front of Elena listening to her ramble on about how she wished things could have turned out differently.
"I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better but honestly I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry" Matt said sitting next to her.
"Matt, you've been amazing these past three weeks. Thank you so much for letting me stay with you guys after everything. I don't know what I would have done if I had to stay with Stefan and Damon" Elena said shaking her head.
"Of course! You're always welcome here Elena. I'm just worried about you is all" Matt said catching her by surprise.
"You're worried about me? I'm the vampire here" Elena said chuckling.
"Yeah I know…I just don't see you like that" Matt said with serious eyes.
There was something different in his eyes that she hadn't seen before, or at least not in a long time. He was concerned for her like he always had been but something else was in his eyes. As she looked at Matt, she remembered the life they once had before the Salvatore brothers came back to Mystic Falls. Their lives were completely different back then. He was a football star, she was a cheerleader, and they had very normal lives. They were also a couple back then as well.
"How do you see me?" Elena asked curious.
Matt grabbed Elena's hand gently.
"I see you as I always saw you, just Elena. The same sweet, passionate stubborn girl I met all those years before you became a vampire".
Elena's eyes began to tear up and she couldn't understand why. Maybe it was just thinking about all the things she would never get experience. The life she had before. The life she could have had.
"Thanks Matt, I needed that" Elena said softly.
"So, I guess I should warn you that everyone is concerned about you. Caroline, Jeremy, Stefan…Damon. You haven't seen them in weeks and they just wanna know if you're okay. You might wanna give them a call" Matt said.
Elena stood up and started slowly pacing around the room trying to prolong the inevitable.
"Ugh, I can't. I wouldn't know where to begin" Elena said.
Matt stood up walking up to her smiling.
"Start with Caroline" Matt said before kissing her cheek and leaving the room.
Elena smiled as Matt walked away and Elena realized she missed this feeling. She missed things being simple and effortless. She missed Matt.
Matt walked out Elena's room feeling a mix of emotions. He was glad he got his best friend back but having Elena stay with him had sparked something in him that he thought he buried long ago. These past three years have been nothing but pain and death for everyone but the one thing that kept all of them going was each other; The friendships, the bonds, and sometimes even love. He was grateful that Elena was back to her old self and Katherine was finally out of their lives for good. At least there was one enemy they could cross off their list.
Matt headed to work with a million thoughts running through his mind. As soon as he stepped into the bar he noticed Stefan, Damon and Caroline sitting at the bar. He knew exactly how this was going to go. He felt like the last few weeks he was in some type of time loop. He would be at work going about his day and one of them if not all three would ask him hoe Elena was and why she was avoiding them. Truthfully, he was kind of glad Elena was taking some time for herself. She needed to be alone…of course she wasn't exactly alone. She had been spending a lot of time with him and Tyler, just like back in the day.
"Matt!" Caroline yelled waving for him to come over.
He put his work apron on and heading towards his friends.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Matt asked trying to keep the conversation light.
"Things are okay. So…have you talked to her yet? Have you asked Elena why she's been avoiding us?" Caroline asked impatiently.
"Way to keep the conversation light Care" Damon said as he took a sip of his drink.
"Uh, yeah, I mean we talked a little about it but she just needs some time you know? She feels awful about all the things that went down and she's still trying to process the fact that she lost a portion of her life to crazy witch" Matt said.
"Ugh I know but I'm her best friend, she should talk to me! She can tell me anything" Caroline said.
"Yeah…but she also sabotaged your prom dress and attacked your mom so I don't think she's thinking you're ready for her to vent to you" Matt said.
"We all know that everything she did to us was Katherine and not her- she should know that" Stefan said.
"And she does. She'll come around, when she's ready" Matt said.
"You did tell her that we are concerned for her right? I mean you gave her our messages right?" Caroline asked.
"Yes of course Caroline. I told her that you should be the first one she should go to first" Matt said.
"So you say" Damon said eyeing Matt suspiciously.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Matt asked.
"Well, I'm just simply saying that it's awfully convenient that Elena completely ignores all of us while she's shacked up with you and wolf boy. Maybe you haven't been saying anything to her. Maybe you want her to stay away from us" Damon said angrily.
"Or maybe she's tired of being in constant pain every single time she's around you" Matt shot back at Damon. "Or you" looking at Stefan.
Caroline couldn't help but look a little on the nervous side. He could tell because she always looked like she was about to laugh or cry.
"I don't really care what you think Damon. If it were up to me, Elena would have dumped both your asses long ago. Maybe then she could have still been able to have a normal human life but we all know that's not possible. If she's ignoring you, it's because she doesn't want to talk to you or maybe she's not ready but whatever her reason is, it has nothing to do with me. I don't have to say anything to make you look bad Damon, you do that all on your own" Matt said before walking away.
"Well that was awkward" Caroline said.
"Not really, this isn't the first time Matt has expressed how much we've ruined Elena's life" Stefan said.
"Elena's not the type of girl who's told what to do. If she's not talking to us, it's because she's choosing not to" Caroline said.
"Maybe but something's different. He's hiding something" Damon said.
Elena walked out of her favorite clothing store with her new outfit intact. She decided to treat herself after all the drama she'd been through the last three weeks. She chose a baby blue cotton dress that was just above the knee and her new heart shaped sunglasses added a slightly different look to her that she liked. She was only twenty years old but lately she felt like she was in her thirties. Lord knows she'd probably been through more crap than to last her three life times. She was tired of being worn down and on the verge of depression all the time. She knew it was silly to think a little wardrobe change could make that much of a difference but it was a harmless start.
She grabbed her favorite caramel latte from her local coffee shop she never went to anymore and took a few seconds to soak up that wonderful aroma. Suddenly she had this determination to try all the things she used to do before she became a vampire…even before then. She wanted to remember all the things she used to do before Stefan and Damon came into her lives. She took a sip of her latte before pondering what her next stop would be but before she could think of anything she recognized a voice from the distance.
"Elena?" Caroline said a few feet away.
Elena turned towards her best friend who she hadn't talked to in weeks standing next to both her ex boyfriends. She knew this would happen eventually, she just thought she would have had a little more time.
"Caroline" Elena said clearly caught off guard by them. She clung to her latte trying with all her will not squeeze it all over the side walk. Sometimes she forgot how strong she could be.
"Oh my God! Finally! I've been calling you like a hundred times a day! How are you?" Caroline asked hugging her.
Elena let Caroline hug her as she stood there on the street feeling a little awkward. Damn- she hated this. Why did she feel so uncomfortable around her, even Damon and Stefan? As she hugged Caroline back her eyes drifted towards Damon and Stefan and they were both giving her those longing looks that she had seen many times before.
"I'm okay" Elena finally answered.
"Well you look…good. Different…did you do something with your hair?" Caroline asked.
"Caroline- you don't have to keep doing that" Elena said.
"Doing what?"
"Making small talk to avoid the obvious elephant in the room. I did some pretty …questionable things to all of you while…"Elena started to say.
"Katherine did those things…not you" Stefan said.
"Right…I know. It's still a little weird though" Elena said.
"I'm just glad that you're back to being you again" Caroline said.
"Speaking of which…are you?" Damon asked confusing everyone.
"Am I what?" Elena asked.
"Are you back to being your old self again?" Damon asked.
"I'm working on it" Elena said.
"So you've been staying at Matt's?" Stefan asked changing the subject.
"Yeah! He's been great! Tyler too"
"You know, you're welcome to come back to our house- it's not like we don't have the room" Damon said in that sexy voice she had once loved.
Elena tried to smile but there was something off about the way she felt right now. She did feel different she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"I know. Thank you- but I just need a little time to get back in the swing of things, besides it's actually been kind of nice to catch up with Matt, just like old times" Elena said chuckling.
"Elena, are you sure you're okay?" Caroline asked.
"Well…pushing aside the fact that almost everyone I care about is dead and my doppelganger took over my body making a complete mess out of my life…again…then yeah sure I'm great" Elena said.
"Elena…" Stefan started to say.
"Look guys, I'll be fine"
"You're upset that we didn't know it was Katherine the whole time huh? You're totally right Elena! We should have noticed that something wasn't right. We should have known it wasn't you" Caroline said practically in tears.
"Caroline! No- I wasn't even thinking that at all. Katherine was a manipulative bitch who had 500 years to perfect her lies and betrayals. It's a miracle that you actually caught on when you did" Elena said.
"Well it wasn't until you kissed Stefan in the hotel room that it really made us question…" Caroline started to say.
Elena looked away trying to block out that embarrassing fiasco that Katherine had made her do.
"Sorry…I didn't mean to bring that up" Caroline said.
"You know what- I'm gonna get going. I actually have somewhere I need to be right now" Elena said desperately wanting to be anywhere but here.
"Oh, okay. Well, let us know if you need anything" Caroline asked.
Elena started to feel a little guilty about how she was acting. After all Caroline was only trying to make sure she was okay and here she was trying to avoid her.
"Thanks" Elena said and before she turned to walk away. She whispered under her breath but loud enough for her to hear. "It's not you Care…"
Caroline stood in the street with Damon and Stefan still trying to figure out what Elena was freaking out about.
"Well if it isn't you…that means it has to be one of us" Damon said.
"It could be any of us. I mean come on…Damon you broke up with Elena before you decided to go on a murder spree and kill her friend Aaron, or it could be me even though she said it wasn't because I her best friend couldn't even tell that she was Katherine, or it could be Stefan because they made out in a hotel room and now it's awkward" Caroline blurted out.
"Way to stay positive Care" Stefan said.
"She's different though…it's like she…" Damon started to say.
"Can't be around us" Stefan finished.
There was an uneasy feeling that lingered between all of them and they feared that this was only the beginning of what's to come.
Matt walked into his house glad to be off work. He needed the money but he was contemplating whether to call in sick tomorrow. He went to the fridge and grabbed a beer before heading into the living room. He hadn't seen Tyler since yesterday morning; he wondered what he was up to. He had a feeling it wasn't very good. After he found out that Caroline slept with Klaus he had been on a war path to destroy everything including his friendship with Caroline. He pushed those thoughts aside for now the moment he saw Elena in his room. He was pretty sure he did a double take just to make sure she was really there. She was wearing his football shirt and tiny black shorts, the same shorts she used to wear when she was a cheerleader.
"Elena?" Matt asked confused.
Elena spun around and gave him that wonderful smile he never got tired of seeing.
"Hey Matt, I hope you don't mind, I'm running out of clothes to wear and my flannel pj's are just too hot for me right now" Elena said.
Matt cleared his throat trying not to think about all the things running through his mind right now.
"Of course not, looks better on you than me" Matt said smiling.
Elena smiled back and her eyes were more golden brown than they were a moment ago. He couldn't understand what was going on between them. Elena and him ended their relationship years ago and they had become really good friends. So, why did it feel like they were slowly starting to revisit some past feelings?
"What have you been up to today?" Matt asked keeping his mind preoccupied.
Well, I ran into Caroline, Stefan and Damon today" Elena said.
"Me too" Matt chuckled.
While Elena filled him in on her awkward run in he changed out of his work uniform and threw on his shorts. It was too hot for anything else at the moment.
"I should tell you…I had a few words with Damon earlier today too" Matt said.
"Wait what? Oh no- what did he do?" Elena asked concerned.
"Oh you know, just Damon being Damon. He doesn't understand why you're staying with me and he thinks that I'm somehow keeping you from all of them" Matt said sitting on his bed facing her.
Elena threw her hands up in the air shaking her head clearly frustrated.
"Ugh, I'm sorry Matt. He couldn't be more wrong. If anything you're the one who kept encouraging me to talk to everyone" Elena said.
"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. Besides I said what I needed to say to them" Matt said.
"Oh? And what did you say?" Elena asked sitting on the bed next to him.
Matt looked at Elena, she never looked more beautiful than she did now with half her hair pulled up while the other half fell covering parts of her face.
"I told them that if it were up to be you should have left both of them a long time ago" Matt said softly.
He tried to read Elena's expression but he was unsure how she felt. It looked like she was half smiling but a little sad.
"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said anything" Matt said.
"No! It's fine. You're probably right. I should have left awhile ago- maybe then things could have turned out differently- for everyone but I was so in love with Stefan that nothing could tear us apart" Elena said.
"Until something did" Matt added.
"Yeah, I became a vampire" Elena said.
"Because of me" Matt said remembering how Elena told Stefan to save him first before saving her and that choice ultimately cost her humanity.
Elena grabbed Matt's hand and looked into his eyes.
"I wouldn't change anything about that" Elena said.
"And while you became a vampire you fell in love with Damon, because that's what he wanted for you all along" Matt said with bitterness.
"I fell in love with Damon long before I became a vampire. I just suppressed it because of Stefan…but it was Damon who accepted me for who I had become. He never wanted me to be a vampire but when I did he was there for me" Elena said.
"So what changed?" Matt asked.
"Well, a lot's happened since then but I think the best way to explain it is that Damon and I- when we're together we lose our own identities. We change who we are to make it work and we both know that's not what we want for each other" Elena said sounding sad.
"It sounds like you all really loved each other but in the end it was all a bunch of heartache and pain" Matt said still holding Elena's hand.
"That's love" Elena said trying to lighten the mood.
"You're right. Love can be messy and painful sometimes even unbearable but true love, the kind of love that everyone strives for is easy. Not in a Brady Bunch never argue kind of way but the easiest part should be just loving each other. That's when you know that person is the one" Matt said.
Elena didn't say anything at first except a simple nod and a few distant looks out the window. He always knew he could love Elena Gilbert but he never realized until this moment that he was still in live with her. Why hadn't he realized it before? Maybe because this was the first time in a long time that that the two of them were alone together without any Salvatore brothers or Originals distracting them. It wasn't just him though, there was something different about Elena too. He got the sense that she was tired of being in this love triangle.
"Matt?" Elena asked.
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever think about how things would have turned out if Stefan and Damon never came back to Mystic Falls?" Elena asked.
"All the time" Matt answered without hesitation.
"You really don't like them do you?" Elena asked.
"No, it's not that. I really don't like what they've done to you" Matt said.
Elena looked a little taken aback by his last comment. Maybe he shouldn't have been so honest; after all she probably still loved them both.
"What you mean?" Elena asked.
"I just mean, you deserved everything beautiful and great in this world and I feel like they robbed you of some of that" Matt said.
"They didn't force me to stay. I chose to stay by them" Elena said.
"They could have left…or compelled you to forget" Matt said.
"They probably would have known I'd figure it out and come back to kick their ass" Elena said.
That made laugh chuckle. That much would be true. Elena did not take well to taking orders or being forced into something.
"Do you think we would have still been together all this time?" Elena asked now catching him off guard.
He thought about that for a moment before answering.
"I don't know, I'd like think to think so. Back then I would have done anything to make you happy. I still would" Matt said truthfully.
He wondered if he said too much. He was beginning to think that he was crossing the friendship/boyfriend line but if it bothered her she wasn't showing it. Elena looked at Matt for what seemed like forever before she scooted closer to him now only inches apart. Her fingers traced along his arm all the way up to his shoulders and he tried to think of anything to keep his mind off from kissing her. He wasn't sure what she was doing but he sure didn't want her to stop.
Before he could think of anything clever to say her lips were on his. It was as if they had been waiting years for this kiss. He kissed her back while gently grabbing her hair and just like that all the passion he had been blocking out came rushing back. She was a lot stronger than she was before and he had to remind himself that she was a vampire now. He didn't really wanna think about that now. The only thing he wanted was to be with Elena. He felt her tongue slip in his mouth surprising him with all sensations on fire. As they kissed he felt himself pulling her on top of him as they lay together on his bed. He untied the scrunchie in her hair and let her hair flow all around her shoulders. Yep…there was no doubt in his mind she was the most beautiful women he'd ever seen.
"You are so beautiful" Matt whispered as he looked right at her.
She chose to thank him by kissing him again but this time a little deeper. If someone would have told him months ago that Elena and he would be making out in his bed he would have thought they were insane and yet they were both very much into each other. As they caught their breath she eased off beside him and held her close.
"Being with you has always been easy" Elena whispered.
He really couldn't take it anymore. He didn't care if she was still involved with Damon or Stefan or whoever else that might pose as a threat because right now she was with him. He kissed her once more as he shifted on top of her. He decided to go for it and lift up her shirt exposing her very naked breasts. He wasn't expecting her to be naked so soon but he sure wasn't complaining. He kissed her neck and held her close as their naked chests collided together. They had known each other for years, even dated but they had never been together intimately. She kissed his shoulder pressing up against him clearly not wanting this moment to end. He couldn't help but pull down her shorts leaving her in her lace panties. As if she could read his mind she tugged his shorts off and threw them across the room. He looked down and noticed her giggling.
"What's so funny?" Matt asked smiling.
"Sorry I don't know why I'm so giggly" Elena said.
"No it's okay, it looks good on you" Matt said meaning every word.
Elena touched Matt's cheek tenderly the way she used to years ago and he could tell the feelings they once shared were coming back to them. She lifted her head to kiss him and he sank down on top of her kissing her right back. Was it normal for them to be feeling this much emotion so quickly? This was more than just physical- at least it was for him.
"Elena…are you sure this is what you want?" Matt asked hoping to God she'd say yes.
He watched her look up at him and took her underwear off exposing every inch of her to him. Matt tried not to pounce on her at that very moment. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time and he wanted it to last.
"Your turn" Elena teased.
He quickly tossed his boxers across the room and couldn't believe how he was lucky he was to have this gorgeous woman in his bed. He kissed her like it was there last night together. They started off kissing slow and sensual tasting each other softly but as soon as they started they couldn't stop. Matt threw the covers off of her gently spread her legs apart. He could hear her moaning anticipating what they both have been wanting for weeks maybe even longer. He couldn't take it anymore. He finally dove right into her casing her to arch her back shoving her breasts right in his face. He covered both breasts with his hands as he continued to push deeper inside her. Her moaning was making him want to go faster but a part of him wanted this to last for hours.
"Matt…" Elena moaned.
Hearing his name on her lips was enough to send him on overdrive. He thirsted into her faster than he intended to but now he couldn't stop.
"Don't stop" Elena pleaded.
Thank God she felt the same way. He dove right into her sending them both over the edge and completely satisfied. They both exploded with more pleasure than they could have expected. Matt rested his head on her forehead as they both caught their breath. Neither one of them said anything for a few minutes.
"Wow" Matt finally let out.
"Yeah…definitely wow" Elena repeated.
Matt slowly shifted off of her and they both lay in bed together processing what just happened. Although this was what they both wanted it was still shocking that they actually slept together.
"Are you okay?" Matt asked.
"Yeah…are you?"
"Honestly I'm not sure. I mean…this was incredible and I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't thought about this a hundred times but...Elena you're important to me" Matt said.
"You're important to me too Matt"
"No, I don't think you really understand what I mean…" Matt said.
"Matt, I know what you mean. When I had my humanity turned off and I thought Damon killed you…my heart literally broke. Everyone thought that Damon was the one that brought me back but if I'm being honest…it was you Matt. The thought of losing you destroyed me…and it was enough to bring down that evil side me. You're one of the very few good things in my life" Elena said.
Matt was completely speechless so he did the only thing he knew that came close to showing how much he loved her without actually saying it. He kissed her softly enjoying every minute he had with her.
"Someone's home…" Elena said breaking their kiss.
"It's probably Tyler" Matt said.
"You are never going to believe that that pampas ass Klaus did to me…." Tyler said shouting.
Before either of them could react Tyler came bursting in Matt's room with the angriest expression on his face until he saw Elena and him in bed together.
"Hey Tyler" Elena said trying to cover herself even more.
"What the…hey Elena…and Matt? Wow…I think I may have traveled back in time four years ago" Tyler said looking away.
"It's called knocking buddy" Matt said.
"Yeah- didn't quite expect to see a girl in your bed yet alone Elena Gilbert. What is this? Are you guys getting back together or is this like a booty call?" Tyler asked.
"Tyler get out!" Matt said throwing a pillow at him.
Tyler rolled his eyes before heading out of his room.
"He does bring up a good question…where does this leave us now?" Matt asked.
Elena wasn't sure about anything anymore. First she thought her and Stefan belonged together then she thought Damon was the one but in the end the one person that made her feel like her old self was Matt. She wanted to feel like herself again, she almost lost that part of her twice.
"Let's leave Mystic Falls" Elena blurted out.
"You mean like run away together?" Matt asked chuckling.
"Not so much run…more like start over" Elena said facing him now.
"You're serious?" Matt asked.
"I mean yes and no. I've always wanted to travel and with everything that's happened I could really use a change…but we do have friends here and all we've ever known is Mystic Falls so it's easier said than done" Elena said.
Matt processed everything Elena was saying and the more he thought about the more sense it made to him. For years he always thought Elena should leave this place and be as far away from all the pain this place caused her, he just never thought he'd actually go with her but now he couldn't think of anything else more appealing,
"Let's do it" Matt said finally.
"Wait- what?" Elena asked.
"I'm serious Elena. Let's finally leave this place and just travel. We can go anywhere you want and the best part is we won't have to do it alone, we'll have each other" Matt said looking into the gorgeous eyes of hers.
"What about money?" Elena asked.
"So we'll get a job at a local café for a few months or maybe you can just compel everyone into giving us free stuff" Matt said winking at her.
"Matt!" Elena laughed.
"Come on Elena…what you say? You wanna run away with me?" Matt asked with heavy hope.
"I'm gonna say yes now before I change my mind" Elena said chuckling.
Matt kissed her and this feeling he had was becoming stronger every minute. This is the moment he had been waiting for since the moment they first broke up. He wanted so badly to give Elena the life she was meant to have. She may not be human but he would do everything possible to make her feel like she was and spending time away just the two of them would be a dream.
"I love you" Matt said softly in her ear.
Elena looked up at Matt with surprise and admiration then she kissed him.
"I love you too Matt"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Caroline asked angrily at Tyler as her ex boyfriend gave her the third degree.
"I'm really not in the mod for this Caroline" Tyler snapped.
"Oh well I'm sorry you're being a little priss but all I wanted to know was if Elena was doing okay, you don't have to get all snappy with me" Caroline said.
"And I told you for the third time that she's doing fantastic" Tyler said.
"Care to elaborate?"
"Not really. In case you haven't noticed I really don't want to be around you right now…actually not being around you ever sounds pretty great too" Tyler said taking a sip of his beer,
He had been in the bar for the past thirty minute before Caroline came in trying to drag information out of him about Elena. He was in no mood to pretend to be polite. He noticed out of the corner of his eye Damon and Stefan were close by and now approaching them.
"Everything okay over here?" Stefan asked.
"It will be as soon as you all leave" Tyler said.
Damon sat next to Tyler smiling.
"Oh now that's no way to talk to your friends" Damon said smirking,
"What friends? The ex girlfriend who screwed my mother's killer, the douche bag that punched me in the face the other night or you…who is just completely irrelevant" Tyler said bitterly.
"Wow really Tyler?" Caroline asked.
"What you want from me Caroline? I already told you! Elena is fine…more than fine actually"
"What you mean by that?" Stefan asked.
"I mean that Elena is moving on with her life as she should" Tyler said.
"Moving on how?" Damon asked clearly worried.
Tyler smiled clearly knowing something these three didn't. He would love nothing more than to shove it right in Damon's face that Matt and Elena slept together but he couldn't that to his friends. It wasn't his place.
"Elena is living with us now- you know the first two guys in her life before you two came crashing her life upside down. Just do everyone a favor and leave her alone, haven't you done enough damage to her already?" Tyler asked before paying his tab and leaving.
"Okay this is more than just Elena taking some time to clear her mind, I'm getting the feeling that she's distancing herself from us" Caroline said to both guys.
"Well there's only one way to find out- let's go pay Elena a visit" Damon asked.
There was a knock on the door that made Elena stop packing her clothes in the duffle bag she borrowed from Jeremy. She came to the door and opened it surprised to see Caroline, Stefan and Damon facing her.
"Hey" Elena said surprised.
"Hi Elena! We wanted to know if we could talk to you for a few minutes." Caroline asked.
"Uh sure, actually I need to talk to you guys too" Elena said motioning them to come in.
"Where's Matt?" Caroline asked looking around.
"He had to take care of something but he should be back any minute" Elena said.
"Okay- so we're just gonna cut to the chase Elena. We've all noticed that it seems like you're avoiding us. We know you've gone through a lot but we want you to know that you don't have to be so distant. I mean you haven't even talked to Damon since all of this went down" Caroline said.
"Since when have you ever cared about Damon and me?" Elena asked.
"True…that is true but I know how much you guys love watch other and…" Caroline started to say.
"Things are different now" Elena said cutting her off. "Damon and I are over"
"Look I know that I told you we shouldn't be together because it's changed you but maybe I was wrong" Damon said.
"You weren't" Elena said.
"What are you saying"" Damon asked.
"I'm saying that you were right all along. I did change to be with you and I'm not saying I regret it but now that we both have recognized it- I don't wanna lose who I am. I've already lost so much" Elena said.
"What you Stefan?" Caroline blurted out.
"What about him?"
"Well, now that you and Damon are over, are you saying that you and Stefan belong together?" Caroline asked.
Elena glanced between both brothers clearly not wanting to have this conversation but leave it to Caroline to make things awkward.
"No that's not what I'm saying. Stefan and I were over the moment I became a vampire, we've been over for awhile" Elena said.
"Oh" Caroline muttered.
"Listen- now that you're all here I guess I should tell you that I'm leaving Mystic Falls" Elena finally confessed.
"Wait- what?" Caroline asked.
"I've decided that it's time for a change. This place has too many bad memories right now" Elena said,
"You're just goona leave? What about college? What about or plans? You're really gonna leave me all lone?" Caroline asked frantically.
"You're not going to be alone Care…you'll have Stefan" Elena said smiling clearly aware of her feelings for him.
"Wait a minite- why are you doing this?" Damon asked.
"Mystic Falls isn't going anywhere Damon, I can always come back eventually" Elena said.
"What about Jermey? And Bonnie? What about Matt?" Caroline asked.
"Uh…well actually Matt's coming with me" Elena said.
It took a few moments for Caroline to realize what was going on but she was pretty sure she had a good idea now.
"Oh my God" Caroline said.
"What?" Stefan asked confused.
"You and Matt…" Caroline said.
Matt and Tyler walked in just in time to catch the drama that was about to unfold between all of them.
"Hey what's going on in here? Everything okay?" Matt asked Elena concerned.
"Yeah everything's good. I was just telling everyone that we're leaving Mystic Falls" Elena said.
"Yeah…and that you're going with Elena?" Caroline asked Matt.
"Yeah I am- I just quit the Grill twenty minutes ago so all there's left to do is just pack" Matt said.
"I can't believe this…I don't know what's more shocking…that Elena you're actually leaving Mystic Falls or that you and Matt are …involved again" Caroline said.
"Oh good you told them! I definitely wanted to be the one to tell them you guys slept together but thought that you two should be the one to break it to them" Tyler said laughing.
"Excuse me?" Damon asked.
"You slept with Matt?" Carline asked.
"Awww crap" Tyler said. "Sorry" Tyler said to Elena.
"And you knew about it and said nothing?" Caroline asked.
"Why would I tell you?" Tyler asked confused.
"I don't believe this" Damon said shaking his head.
"Is this really what you want Elena?" Stefan asked.
"Yes it is. For the first time in years I actually feel like my old self again and I think a lot of it has to do with being with Matt" Elena said.
"Well I for one completely agree that you two belong together…should have been you two all along" Tyler said winking.
Elena smiled at Tyler grateful for the support.
"You should come with us Tyler…this place has been hard on you as well" Elena said.
Matt put his arm around Elena.
"Are you sure?" Matt asked,
"Yes! I'd love nothing more than my two oldest friends coming on this adventure with me" Elena said.
"You never asked me" Caroline said.
"Care- you don't wanna leave this place yet…and that's okay. It's not like we're never going to see each other again. We will." Elena said.
"I don't know how to live my life without you" Caroline said tearing up.
"Then don't. You can call me anytime…I just really need this Care".
Caroline hugged Elena goodbye while they all stood in the kitchen. Elena took her time with Damon and Stefan keeping it a short and simple goodbye for now speech. She knew she would see them again. After they left Elena thought about everything that's happened in the last forty eight hours and it's been a world wind and she couldn't have felt more alive and free. She was excited to start this new chapter in her life- something so unexpected that it could change her life forever. This was the only way she could really be free of the Salvatore brother…and although she had no regrets of loving them- she wished she could have found the strength to leave sooner. Better late than never. She looked behind her and saw Matt and Tyler with their suit cases.
"Ready boys?" Elena asked.
"We've been ready" they both said in unison.
All three of them left the house without looking back ready to start their new lives together. Things sure would be different for all of them.
"Goodbye Mystic Falls…until next time" Elena whispered before taking Matt's hand and slipping away into the night.