Here's my view of what happened after Elena came back in Dark Reunion. It's supposed to be a one-shot, but I might expand it in the future.

One of the problems of dying was explaining to people why you were walking around still

One of the problems of dying was explaining to people why you were walking around still. She'd had a memorial service, after the Founder's Day celebration, when she'd drowned. A few weeks later, she'd had an actual funeral – but that one she didn't remember.

And now, here she was, sitting in a borrowed dress in the middle of a clearing. Sure she was surrounded by those she dearly loved to see, but she felt disjointed. All her friends had changed since she'd died, and they didn't quite match up to how she remembered them.

Stefan stood up and held out a hand to help her up. Standing up, Elena looked around at the clearing at Meredith, Bonnie, Matt and Caroline. Meredith was holding Bonnie who was crying a little. Matt stood off to the side, like he wasn't sure exactly what to do. And Caroline – well Caroline stood off to the side, somehow still looking regal and not the least bit ashamed for her part in Elena's death… the first one at least.

But I have to get over that now, Elena thought, shaking her head slightly. I'm alive. I'm with Stefan. There's not too much to worry about past that.

Elena squeezed Stefan's hand, and slipping her own out of his, and walked over to Meredith and Bonnie, and the three girls fell into a hug and sank to the ground.

"I'm so glad you're back," Bonnie said, crying harder now.

Meredith was crying silently as usual, and Bonnie was her noisy self, but tears wouldn't come to Elena. It's not that she'd been in a place of joy; it had been a literal hell with Klaus around tormenting her.

But something still felt different.

Elena glanced up, and looked at Stefan, who gave her a small smile. As if he knew what she was thinking, he gave her a small nod, as if to say that it was okay.

"I think it's time we all got home," Meredith said, sitting back from Elena and Bonnie. "I have to be the voice of reason, but it's late, and some of us have curfews."

The group headed to their cars, and went their separate ways.

Stefan took Elena up to his room, sneaking her past Mrs. Flowers with a murmured comment of, "No barn for you this time."

Once upstairs, he drew her into his arms and rested his chin against her hair. "Oh, god, Elena," he said, kissing her hair.

"It's okay," she whispered, understanding what he was trying to say and couldn't. "It's all okay now that we're together."

"How can you say that?" he said, drawing backwards to look her in the eyes. "After all that's happened to you because of me?"

"Because if it hadn't have happened, we wouldn't be here today, together like this," she said. "If it hadn't been for that Halloween night on the roof, you would have eventually found a way to pull away from me. And it was thanks to Katherine that we were able to get rid of Klaus."

"But you died twice because of me," he said, anguish in his voice, turning away from her.

"But I'm here now," she said. "Haven't you noticed by now that nothing – not even death – can keep us apart?"

Elena reached out with one slim, white hand and turned his face toward hers. Looking into those green eyes she loved so much, she smiled at him. "Now's our chance to be together. This is our time. Before we had to save Fell's Church. But now, is for us."