AN: Okay, so this is a different story than the others, and it's a sequel, summing up what happened after Save Me. Please Read and Review, thank you. Enjoy.
Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline wind up going to college, but things aren't the same for Caroline. She has all eternity to attend a university, so she just decides to major in philosophy, seeing no point in stressing so much, when she has so much time to figure things out. Bonnie winds up majoring in mythology, or lore, and it's okay, because she finds her mother shortly afterward and they wind up repairing their broken bond. Elena majors in English, deciding that she can become a teacher. Stefan, however, decides to skip college, with his friends and instead just drifts. He leaves Mystic Falls, and decides to keep in touch with Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, and Alaric. He sees no point in keeping in touch with Elena, because things have never been the same between them, since Damon left.
It's almost surreal. For the first few days, Stefan thought that his brother was joking, and would soon return, with a smirk across his features, laughing. Stefan would have had to restrain himself from nearly tearing him apart with rage, for the trouble he'd caused, but after the days turned into weeks, which in turn, became months, he was starting to get the picture that Damon may have meant what he said on the phone. Stefan, by this point just wanted to see his brother again, and hug him, and just be brothers again. Things were looking so up after Damon was turned into a seven year old by a witch, but still Damon didn't return. Life went on, soon, Mystic Falls moved on. Stefan graduated from high school with his friends, and no one, but him seemed to miss Damon.
Caroline didn't care, Damon was a jerk, and he left. They only had one fight, sure Damon was impulsive, but she was too, what she said she didn't mean. She finally found out from Stefan, where Damon went, or rather what happened weeks after no one had even seen Damon. Finding out that Damon left with Katherine, was such a blow to her, which she eventually decided to forget his existence all the way. Damon didn't care about her, so why should she care about him.
Elena would be lying, if she said that Damon's random and abrupt departure didn't shake her. To be honest, Damon's growing infatuation with her was stimulating. She had Stefan and Damon; it would have been the three of them against the world, she would have turned, and their lives together would have worked. They would have had each other, but Damon left, and honestly, Elena just doesn't see Stefan the same way. He's now just Damon's little brother. Elena winds up stringing Stefan along, for some time, and then when graduation comes and goes, Stefan finally is the one to break it off, so now all hope that Elena had of becoming a vampire and renewing what she saw growing, among Damon, Stefan and her, is now lost, because Stefan barely acknowledges her. Elena married Matt, and they had children, grew old and died. Caroline and Bonnie were there with them, but things were estranged among them, and then everything just ended. Matt outlived Elena by a year, before he succumbed to old age.
Jeremy and Anna move on together, and finally after months of persuasion, Anna agrees to turn Jeremy. She does it quickly and against her mother's wishes. Pearl leaves, finally realizing that there's nothing left in Mystic Falls for her, and her daughter decides to stay. They keep in touch, but it's mostly like a post card or a short letter that goes between the mother and daughter. Anna and Jeremy wind up living happy lives, no one really noticing or caring, that Jeremy Gilbert has fangs, and a bloodlust now. It's when their time for graduation comes by that they wind up informing everyone, and leaving hand in hand, together ready to face eternity.
Alaric wound up marrying Jenna, and now she's pregnant with her second child. Alaric was probably the one who was most impacted by Damon's abrupt departure, because Damon was his friend, they were drinking buddies, and vampire killing buddies, etc. He thought he deserved more of a goodbye, than just to hear it from a distraught Stefan, who he managed to get the answer from, weeks after no one, had even heard from Damon Salvatore. His wedding was small, and he decided that he was going to start fresh with Jenna in a new town. Besides, Jenna wasn't too pleased to be living in a town, infamous for its constant infestations of vampires. He expected that Damon would always keep in touch with him, even when Damon had to move away, because of his constant age, but it seems as though Damon had other ideas. He doesn't take it personally, but it doesn't stop the questions from entering his mind every so often. It's a post card that comes in the mail one day, that let's Alaric know differently, though, that he wasn't just another person passing through, during Damon's existence; it says, Live long and prosper. He can't help but laugh, because it was a drunken impulsive choice of theirs to watch Star Trek one day, when they had nothing better to do. He wants to send something back, but is distraught to find that there's not return address, and the post cards would come, once a month with little innuendos and statements, that would let Ric know that Damon was still there. It wasn't until one winter night, when Ric and Jenna were old and living out their last days, that they received a knock on their door. Ric answered it, and was beyond shocked to see Damon standing before him, young as ever with some college student, with a red scarf around her neck. Ric invited Damon in, and Damon wound up staying in town, until Ric took his last breath, right beside Jenna, who only lived weeks longer.
If she was honest, Bonnie Bennett would tell you that, Damon's departure was almost devastating for her. She was actually starting to like him. She let him stay at her house, when he was in danger, and she tried to be there for him, but he left. She understands why, especially now that she sees Elena's reaction to his abrupt disappearance. Elena was a poison to the Salvatore brothers, and if she were honest she understands the reasons behind Damon's decision more than anyone. She's a witch so she can slow the aging down substantially, and she does exactly that. She knows that she'll be able to live for three centuries if she's lucky, and she desperately wants that. She wants to be with Caroline, for as long as she can, but she doesn't want to become a creature of the night to do it. She wishes, though that it didn't have to be this way, and who knows she might be able to see Damon when he decides to come out of hiding. She suspects that she may see him in a century, after Elena dies.
It's now been a century and a half, and Stefan has found a small house in the middle of nowhere, only returning to the boardinghouse to visit his family every ten years or so. He still hasn't heard from Damon, and it's been so long now, that Stefan's not even sure if Damon's alive. Jeremy, Anna, Caroline, and Bonnie seek him out. Besides Bonnie, no one is showing even the slightest sign of age. Bonnie seems old and weary despite the fact that she barely looks fifty. Caroline is still bubbly as ever, and she seems to renew an old persona in Stefan. He seems to come out of his stupor when she slaps him on the backside of the head and tells him to move on. Jeremy and Anna are happy as can be, and they are married, forever to be together, and that's okay with them, because they are in love. Anna says that she still keeps in touch with her mother every so often. She says that her mother is continuing on as before, with a new coven of vampires, that she created after she left. They travel together, entering towns and staying for as long as they can, until they are forced by nature to leave.
"Have you heard from Damon, at all?" Bonnie asks. She's the only one to mention him. She guesses that it's because she understands his choices the most. They brush her question off, as if it was never asked, because no one really wants to think about him, let alone talk about him. Bonnie wonders if they feel betrayed.
If they asked her why she asked, she would tell them that she's here to tell Damon whether or not he should come. If they asked her why she asked, she would tell them, that Damon's around, keeping his distance, but knows where each and every one of them are for the most part, and he has legitimate reasons for what he did one hundred and fifty years ago. If they asked her why she asked, she wouldn't hesitate to say the simple words "Come in, Damon," because he's right outside, but they don't, and she can understand their refusal, too, because Bonnie's like that, she can understand both sides of the spectrum. To be honest, she wishes that Damon would enter the house anyways, but she knows he won't, so for fifty years later she asks, knowing that Damon is outside, with his girlfriend, Rebekah. Bonnie has only met her once, but from what she can tell they're good for each other.
Caroline finally introduces them all to her boyfriend, Klaus. Klaus releases Stefan's compulsion, and Stefan remembers his friendship. Elijah comes with his girlfriend, Katherine, and Kol makes an appearance. Rebekah and Damon don't make their appearance. It's only when Stefan finally asks after a while, where Rebekah is, that there's a knock on the door.
Bonnie grins, happily as the remaining Mikealson, and Salvatore walk into the room. Bonnie, to everyone's shock rushes over to Damon, and the two embrace each other in a familiar hug. Damon even takes the time to hug the originals, with the exception of Kol. Rebekah smiles happily and she hugs Stefan. Katherine and Damon hug each other, Damon thanking her, for all she's done for him over the years, and after Damon and Caroline share an awkward moment, reacquainting themselves with each other, that he finally turns around to face Stefan.
At first Bonnie's not sure whether Stefan's going to break his neck or hug him. She completely dismisses the idea that Stefan would drive a stake through his brother's heart, because well, Bonnie can't see Stefan doing that. He however, drives a stake into his brother, and Bonnie's surprised, she doesn't know if it's because Klaus's hasty reaction or Stefan's own decision that keeps the stake from going into Damon's heart, but she immediately chooses the latter, when Damon pulls the stake out, and Stefan and Damon finally hug each other.
"It's okay, Stef, I'm here now." Damon says comfortingly.
Stefan pulls back from Damon, studying him, "Why?" He asks.
Damon smiles, and for a second everyone sees that mischievous glint in his eyes, that was always present those two centuries ago, when they were all together, but it's quickly replaced with a more genuine smile. Damon tells Stefan, what happened, why he had to leave. He tells him, what Katherine helped him realize. Katherine's there with him, nodding and supporting Damon the whole way. Stefan nods, after his brother's done explaining everything, but Bonnie knows that he doesn't fully understand, none of them will, and that's okay, because Damon doesn't need them to, he just wants to be here with everyone. Damon tells Stefan that he's never left, just disappeared. He tells Stefan that he always kept an eye on him, and tried to pull him out of life and death situations, and thanks to Rebekah Stefan never remembers.
The friends decide that from now on they'll keep in touch, and they do. Bonnie breathes her last breath, surrounded by each and every one of them. Her funeral is filled with her friends, both old and new. She wants to be buried with her old friends, Elena, Matt, Alaric, Jenna, Liz, Carol, Richard, her mom, Abby, Sheila, and the others, because she still sees them as her family.
Now, the only surviving family and friends are vampires. They all pay homage to the people they once knew and loved. Weeks after Bonnie's funeral, they go their separate ways, deciding that they'll return to their home, to find each other, every twenty years, so that way they can spend time with their family and friends, both dead and undead.
Stefan and Damon, repaired their relationship and are now closer than ever, the Mikaelson family are happy, Jeremy and Anna are happy, and have joined her mother's coven, and Stefan has found his family amongst humans, he's currently courting a girl, named Jessica, finally finding true love.
Damon and Rebekah decide to marry, alongside Klaus and Caroline. Their wedding has a large turnout of guests. Everyone seems to be living happier lives than they ever thought possible, and now, they all don't see Damon's decision those centuries ago, as a betrayal, they see it simply as what it was, a step towards moving on, because that's what it was and that's what they all needed to do, move on.