Stefan's POV

I was sitting on a bench in the park close to our flat in Charleston, watching as my son played on the playground, ran around with the other kids and waved at me every once in a while, making sure that I'm there watching him and that I'm not going anywhere.

I smile as I watch him swing, he's dressed in sweet khaki pants and a nice plaid shirt with a sweater on top. It's been about a month since I met Elena in the hospital. My recovery has taken longer than expected and they discharged me two weeks ago, even though Elena insisted that I stay more. I just couldn't leave Joseph alone for that long, even though I knew that I would still need some help with him, I had troubles moving, and getting up from my bed in the first place, which made everything else even harder-I had to take care of him and so I gritted my teeth and tried to swallow my pain, but in the evenings I would easily get tired and sometimes I would fall before he did.

But now I was feeling better and I was supposed to start my new job as an ambulance driver in the same hospital Elena was working in next week. Honestly, if it wasn't for her, I don't know what I would be doing right now. Not only did she manage to bring me back on my feet, but she also encouraged me to apply for the position and she suggested that I try out that paramedic training course they had in the hospital. I wasn't sure about it all, I mean, I still had troubles getting back to my old self, but with her and Joe's support, I decided to at least give it a go. She spent so much time with me while I was in the hospital, not only during her shift, but after or before it as well-she would come to my room, check up on me, as she refused that any other doctor took care of me, sit down and talk for hours.

Honestly, despite the fact that we were there, it was one of the best moments in my life in the past few months. I've been feeling pretty down ever since they fired me and I didn't know how I would support Joe and what would happen at all. I was sad and lonely. Damon had his own life and he's been pretty busy lately with Bonnie and the kids, he had to take care of himself, so I couldn't make him bother with me. I smile as I look how Joe jumps from the swing and runs after his friend from school, they are yelling from joy and their laughter fills my soul with happiness. I was glad that things were getting better now and I sigh tiredly as I lean back on the bench.

"Here you are, Salvatore!" I almost jump when I hear her voice and I look up only to see Elena smiling down at me, dressed in a sweet red sweater and skinny blue jeans, a bag over her shoulder, just as if she was a schoolgirl again, though she was probably wearing her hospital stuff in there instead of books like when she was a teenager. I smile surprised as I move to give her some space so she can join me

"Elena! What are you doing here?" I ask, trying not to act impolite. I was indeed surprised to see her here, I thought that she would be busy with something else or that she would start avoiding me once I get out of the hospital. But she didn't. She passed by the flat the other day, to check on me and to bring Joe home.

It turned out Damon has called her and asked her to take him from practice, because something came up and she was surprisingly free that afternoon. Joe on the other hand was jumping from joy at the sight of her, because she had brought him candies and he loved those. He loved her as well-they spent a lot of time together while I was in the hospital. Damon would bring him every day for a few hours and he and Elena would play in my room and she would tell him how bad I was and that I'm not listening to her. It was funny, cause Joe would start scolding me-a ten-year-old, was trying to make me drop fighting and I realized how much I've actually scared him if he was so concerned about me.

I promised him I'll stop. I guess to some extent, I really wanted to keep doing what I was good at, even if it was going to kill me, maybe I've been selfish when I decided to fight that night, because even if I knew how dangerous it was, I still went there, even though I could've died. I was lonely and again as so many times in my life, I couldn't see a way out. Not until Elena showed me things could be different. She came into my life and turned everything upside down, making me believe that I could change it all for the better.

"I went by your flat and found Bonnie trying to clean there, said I will find you here with Joe" it was true, since I never had anyone to take care of those stuff, Damon would send Bonnie to help me clean every once in a while. It's not like I never had a girlfriend all those years, I did, but it didn't last longer than a year and Joe never liked her, so when things fell apart I wasn't even sorry, I was relieved. After that, there has barely been anyone at all, plus I didn't want to do this to Joseph, I was afraid of hurting him, so I refrained from trying to find the right one for a while.

I didn't know what was going on between me and Elena in the past few weeks, but it felt good, that I was sure of. It was never awkward when we spoke, it's like we haven't seen each other for a day and when we finally did, it just went on smoothly and without us even noticing how eight years passed. I was afraid to be bold with her, to take a stand, to grab her hand or to kiss her, which didn't bother her, because she obviously wasn't scared like me. She told me that she was married, until she figured out Matt was cheating on her, she was obviously very hurt and watching her admit all this and the pain in her eyes, made me want to cut his head off. I honestly got so mad, that I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth as if I was about to fight him, and I would, had he been in front of me. She noticed it and with a smile on her face, urged me to calm down, claiming that I can't solve every problem by using my fists. When I've calmed down, she sat by my side on the bed and I looked at her-God, she seemed so beautiful, it made my heart clench and before I even knew what I was doing, I stretched out and grabbed her hand in mine, squeezing it tightly.

"How are you?" she asked again once she realized I'm still lost in thoughts and I watched her sit down next to me

"I'm fine, thank you" I granted her a wide smile in return and wished to lean down and kiss her, though I knew that's not possible, so instead I just awkwardly gave her a hug, to which she responded with a tight squeeze. I've missed having her so close to me. When I let her go and looked at her, I realized how tired she was again, the dark circles under her eyes made her look so much serious. We stared at each other for a while, like there was no world around us and she didn't stop me when I reached out to cup her cheek with my rough hand and brushed it with my thumb. She shamefully looked down like a little girl before raising her brown eyes back to me and reached out to grab my wrist as well

"You look beautiful as always" I said truthfully and she chuckled lightly as I finally let her go and she pulled away, not too far from me as I've managed to notice, she was never too far, as if she was afraid I might be in pain and not tell her even if I need her.

"Stefan" she shook her head "You gotta stop making me feel so bad about myself."

"Oh, trust me, if I'm really doing that I will stop saying it, but I only want you to see how amazing you are" I continue stubbornly, I've noticed that she was different in many ways since before, it's like Matt crushed everything good in her and destroyed her self-esteem. She has stopped believing in herself, and the fact that she was smart and beautiful and she brushed all my compliments away as if they were lonely snowflakes fallen on her cheeks, that are about to melt away into the nothingness, made me feel awful "Moreover, I want you to believe it" I said gently and she smiled again, blushing like a school girl.

I can't believe we've been through so much, I can't believe I myself have gone through hell, survived it and managed to keep on and grant my son a relatively good life. It seems like forever ago when he was just a baby who woke me up at least three times during the night because he was hungry and now…now he was growing up, soon he would be a raging teenager, who hates me for not letting him hang out till late and giving him curfews.

"He looks happy today" Elena hurries to change the subject as she has always been uncomfortable talking about herself and when she notices me observing my son, she traces my gaze and sees him swinging happily, he still hasn't notice her, but I'm sure soon he will and he'll jump running in our direction with his arms stretched at her

"Yeah, he is. He's glad I'm home with him, that I have a job. Sometimes I think he worries too much about things that should never be his concern." I look down at my intertwined hands, wondering if I have made his life so much more difficult than it could've been and when I feel her hand on my shoulder I look up to see her shaking her head

"Don't, Stefan. Don't blame yourself for stupid things. You did a great job with your son. He's a bright happy child, you made sure of it." she assures me and I nod, even though I'm not entirely sure she's right. In my desperate attempts to give him everything he needs, I've gotten myself into bigger messes, I've fought and lost games on purpose, I've been really bad, he has seen me bleeding on our couch so many times that he has learned when to come with the first aid kit and help me clean myself up in times when he could be watching TV or sleeping. He's used to seeing his dad bleed or get in fights, or not eat enough so he can have enough and that hurt me. I never wanted this kind of life for him. "Hey, don't overthink it now, Stefan!" she urges me to get back to earth and I lean on the bench, looking at her persistent expression

"Thank you." I respond sincerely as I put my hand over hers and squeeze it gently.

Suddenly, without either of us expecting it, we hear Joe's yell from the swings and when I look at his direction I see him running towards us, with open arms, just like I expected, Elena stands up and he throws himself in her embrace happily

"Elenaaaaa!" he yells and she rubs his back, making me feel a bit jealous even, as I watch my son grant her all his love. "How are you? What are you doing here? Is dad alright?" he asks right away worried that there's something wrong with me. We haven't seen Elena for two days and he has missed her

"Everything's fine, sweetheart, I just passed by to see you." she buries her hand in his hair and ruffles it lightly which makes Joe squeeze his eyes and chuckle.

"Have you missed us?" Joe asks questions, that I myself don't have the guts to ask. I wonder often if Elena really enjoys our company, if maybe…I can have the balls to ask her out on a date one of these days.

"Of course I did, buddy!" Elena responds joyfully as she sits down on the bench and Joe joins her and squeezes himself between her and me. For a moment, he leans on my chest and I rub his small back before he turns all his attention back to Elena. My eyes fill with tears as I realize how much he adores her, I've never seen him be so enthusiastic about any of our friends before. He loved his aunt Bonnie, because she's been a great support for him all those years, as he never had a mother and I hated myself for the fact that he had to suffer like this, so whenever he got sick or there was some important moment in his life, like his first football game or a school play, Bonnie and my brother would always come. He loved them immensely and I've seen him that happy only around her. But now I'm glad there's someone else besides Bonnie in his life and I hope Elena is willing to stay, because I can't stand seeing Joe sad. I am willing to sacrifice any possibility of us being together again if it means that she comes by and makes Joe happy. That's all I ever wanted for him. To never lack anything in his life, to be happy, healthy, well-fed and dressed, to be loved, most of it all. And Elena-she really loved him.

"You're looking dashing today" she complimented him and Joe looked down at his feet just like I did when I was confused

"Daddy bought me new clothes" he explained and gave me a thankful smile as I leaned down to give him a kiss on the head and pulled him to my chest

"Only because you deserved it. Guess who got an A on his math test the other day?" I praised him and he gave Elena a bright smile. He was a very smart boy, I didn't even need to urge him that much to study, he would start doing his work himself, he also loved to read very much, but he was best at Math and I would often find him solving problems on the kitchen table while I was resting on the couch after a heavy fight I've had. He made me very proud.

"Well aren't you a smart fella!" Elena complimented him as well before she poked him in the ribs playfully and Joe began giggling and trying to get it back at her, until I intervened and came from behind him, raised him up on my shoulder and he began kicking in the air, while Elena's hand ended up on my shoulder in a desperate attempt to get to my son's back and tickle him. We ended up being so close to one another, that our noses almost touched and while Joe kept kicking my back with his little fists, begging me to let him go, Elena and I couldn't stop staring at each other. I felt her heartbeat so close to me, that if it wasn't for my son yelling in my ears, I would've leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Stefan" she spoke up first and took a step back "Put him down, you have to take it easy!" she scolded me right away as she knew how careless I was about my health. I listened to her and let Joe go while he eyed us suspiciously, knowing that something has happened while he wasn't looking at us.

"Elena, are you staying for dinner?" he asked and gave her a hopeful look as he got ready to clap his hands before she has even opened her mouth.

"I don't know, buddy, I think it's best if I-" she began and I could already see the sadness in my son's eyes at her polite rejection, which is why I intervened

"Of course she is staying!" I put my arms over her skinny shoulders and pulled her to my embrace, she granted me an "Are you sure?" look and I nodded "We gotta go grab something to eat though, because our fridge is empty."

"I can cook you guys something if you're patient enough" she suggests as we start walking down the alley out of the playground with Joe happily jumping next to us and clapping his hands in the air. He wasn't typically so emotional, he was more like me-silent and a bit of a lone wolf, Damon liked to joke that we're way too similar.

"You cook?" I asked surprised and I felt her slapping me on the shoulder "Hey, hey, I'm sorry! I just never expected you to cook of all people!" I explain as I rub my shoulder and Joe gives me a look suggesting that I'm screwing everything up and I need to stop right away

"Daaaad!" he exclaimed sounding angry with me and I shrug as we keep going down the street

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" I raise my hands in the air defensively as Elena throws me an annoyed look, though I know she's just pretending "But don't burn the flat down, please!" I add and they both attack me with either another slap or fists in the middle of the street.

Which makes me laugh sincerely for the first time in years.

2 YEARS LATER

I open the door of our small apartment, which once upon a time looked too big for me and Joe and now seemed somehow crowded after we've bought new furniture and tried to make it all look a bit presentable. I start taking off my greasy jacket and hang it next to my paramedic's one-I've been working on two jobs in the past six months, trying to make as much money as I can since I knew how we would need it. I'm surprised to see Joe coming out of the kitchen and welcoming me in the small hallway-he has grown, he's twelve now and his hormones wese starting to give me troubles, which is why I was always surprised when he welcomed me home, afraid of the day when he would be too old to do this. But he never disappointed, he always came and this time, as usually, he hugged me.

"Hey, dad!" he said before he let me go and granted me a grateful look with his lively green eyes-he was enthusiastic for his game tomorrow, I could see it, he has been walking around the flat with his jersey all week

"Hey, buddy! How is it going?" I ask him as I start taking off my shoes, I was so damn tired and I hoped there was some dinner left for me as well, even though I was so late

"It's good. I've got an A in Math!" he proudly let me know and I had a hard time swallowing the tears in my eyes. No matter how many times he came home with an A, I always felt so damn proud of him and of course today was no exception, so when I was done with my shoes, I stood up and gave him a tight hug

"Daad, no need to suffocate me! It's just a test!" he protested and tried to get away while I ruffled his hair

"I'm very proud of you, son." I let him know once he was free from my annoying for him embrace and I watched him grant me a shy smile as he scratched the back of his neck

"Will you be there for my game tomorrow?" he asked as we went inside the small living room

"Yes, I switched shifts with your uncle Damon" I assured him and I could see how happy he was that I'm going to be there. It was the first game for this year and it was important for him, I had to skip a few of them last semester and I hated myself for it, but it was good to work and take shifts at the factory with Damon, because he usually agreed to take my place when it was needed to. "It smells like popcorn in here." I say when I realize the familiar scent filling the entire place and Joe gives me a sneaky smile

"Mom wanted me to make some, but she fell asleep so I kinda…ate them all." he apologized as he looked away uncomfortably while I went to the fridge to grab some milk

"Where is she?" I ask him and he nods to the bedroom as I pass by him and ruffle his hair. I never asked him to call Elena mom, neither did she, it came to him naturally, after I proposed to her and she started living with us. He was pretty much old enough to realize what's going on and he has never seen me as happy before as with her, but I never expected him to call her mother, he would always use her name until one day he didn't.

It was late in the evening and he was very sleepy, we've been watching a movie together on the couch and he has started falling asleep, Elena saw this, but she urged me to keep him there with us instead of moving him to his room, so she went to grab a blanket and tucked him in before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. He opened up his sleepy eyes and granted her a sweet smile before he mumbled "Thanks, mom". I saw how confused she was for a moment before I grabbed her hand and nodded at her-it was alright, I tried to tell her, it's all fine, he loves you. And as she settled down next to me and let me hug her to my chest, she let it all sink in and even wetted my shirt a bit with her tears.

"In your bedroom. Can I make more popcorns?" I shook my head at him and he looked down sadly" Ice cream then?"

"Joe, no ice cream, it's too late for that!" I scold him even though I know how much he loves his ice cream, he always have, but sometimes I had to keep him in check

"But daaaaad!" he starts disagreeing and gives me that look, with which he tries to remind me what good of a son he is "You said you're proud of me!"

"Still no ice cream, Joe!" I sigh tiredly as I clean my hands and head to the bedroom to check on my beautiful wife "You can make more pop corns for your mother though, since you ate hers!" I hear him sighting tiredly behind me as I open the door of our small bedroom and find Elena sleeping on her side of our bed, her right hand resting on her big belly-she just began the ninth month the other day and would give birth very soon.

I couldn't wait for our family to get bigger, I couldn't wait to hold the baby, but most of all now, I couldn't wait to just kiss her, so I kneeled down next to the bed and took her hand in mine. She was very sweet when she was sleeping, sometimes she even talked or snored and she has been constantly complaining how tired she is and how heavy this baby is and that it mainly wants to kill her, which made Joe and me laugh a lot. But at the end of the day whenever I gave her a massage she would return the favor as she knew how much I'm working now in order to be sure we'll have everything prepared for the baby and I would often fall asleep an hour after I've come home which is not the most romantic thing. In the weekends I tried to spent as much time as I could with them, because both her and Joe deserved it and I knew they missed me just as much as I missed them.

I leaned down to give her a peck on the lips without wanting to wake her up, but the minute I stepped back I saw her opening her eyes and I gave her an apologizing smile.

"I'm sorry" I said truthfully as I squeezed her hand and she immediately granted me a sleepy smile "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You're home" she rose herself up and kissed me, it was a slow genuine kiss, not a hungry or sexy one like when we were horny-this was her way of welcoming me home after a long day "You look tired." she starts pulling me to the bed and I sit next to her, but I don't want to lie down, since I'm still very dirty

"I'm alright." I assure her and she furrows her eyebrows because she doesn't believe me, but I hurry to silent her with another peck on the forehead "Did you get enough sleep?" I am worried about her, she only stopped working about two months ago, she's been pushing herself too much and I hated it. We had a big fight about it all, because she didn't want to leave work and let me take care of everything else, it was hard, but I insisted and I managed to talk her into it, because she was stressing too much and it wasn't healthy for the baby. I was still worried though, I hated leaving her alone here. Sure, Bonnie came by often and they talked a lot since they were also expecting another baby soon as well, but I wish I could be with Elena all the time. She was smart and she knew that partly me going crazy was because I was afraid of something happening to her like it was with Rebekah when she gave birth to Joe. I was afraid of losing her and she often got sick of me being such a grandma and getting so scared.

"Yes, more than enough" she assured me "I smell popcorns." she raised herself up and I helped her lean on the pillows

"Our son ate almost all of them, but he's making more now just for you. How's our baby girl?" I ask as I put my hand on her stomach and caress it gently, she smiles as she lets me lean down and place a kiss on the baby bump.

"Restless like her father." she responds as she puts her hand over mine

"Good" I smile as I finally join her on the bed and pull her to my chest, taking a minute to rest. Our hands intertwine together and I close my eyes, thinking how I've got here after everything I've been through. I never believed that I would be able to raise a child on my own when I was seventeen, I never thought I would get myself in such a mess like fighting for the wrong people or helping cops solve the town's problems, I never thought I'll see Joseph after they shot me, I never thought I'll manage to create a family after I let Elena go.

And here I was, happy and with my true love resting in my arms while my son jumps from the kitchen with a bowl full of pop corns, half of which, he has most probably already eaten.

I never thought I could have this.

I never even dared dream of it.

And now that I had it, I had a hard time believing it's true, it was almost like a fairytale, until I looked down at my beautiful wife and ruffled my hair's son and remembered that it's all real.

A/N: So, this is the last chapter, guys! I hope you liked it! It's been one hell of a ride for me to write for this story, it was different from the other stuff I've written, it was darker and I guess that's what some of you liked or disliked about it. Still, I hope that you enjoyed reading it and I want to thank you all for the amazing reviews and the follows-they mean the world to me and they are what keeps me motivated and makes me want to write more. I don't know if I'll post another Stelena story soon, granting there aren't many readers left in the fandom anyway, but if I have an idea and time I might try. Once again, thank you all for reading.