„People always leave. I should have remembered that. If there's anything I've learned in almost two centuries I've spent in this world, it's that sooner or later people leave, with our without their own free will. Actually, that is the only thing that is consistant, and that is the only thing you can be sure of. No matter how fulfilled and complete you feel one moment, the other you can feel completely different. People always leave, but I thought she's here to stay.

I'll never forget waking up that morning and not finding her by my side. Not feeling her kisses on my skin, or her body pressing next to mine. I remember how scared I was, not finding her there. She would never wander off without me. She would never leave the bed without waking me up first. I called her name, but there was no answer. I called it few times, but she didn't make a sound. I said that if this is some kind of a game she's playing, it's not funny. But she didn't respond, or giggle, or make her presence known. There was only silence. That's when I screamed her name, louder and louder every time. Damon ran up to my room, asking me what's wrong. ''Elena. She's gone'' – I barely said that sentence without my voice cracking. We looked for her everywhere. Bonnie and Caroline joined us, so did Tyler, and even Matt. She wasn't at her old house, she wasn't in the park, she wasn't at college or in her old school, she wasn't in the Grill or the woods. She wasn't anywhere. When we got back inside, Katherine was waiting there, with a serious face expression, something she didn't wear often. She said that she saw Elena early in the morning in the woods, with blood smudged around her mouth, and that when she noticed her, she started running. Katherine said that she hid the body she found near where she had seen Elena. I didn't believe Katherine. I will never believe another word that comes out of her mouth. But in that moment, I didn't care was she telling the truth or not. I only wanted to find Elena.

But I never did find her. It's like she disappeared from the face of the Earth. And as much as I was mad at her for leaving, I was scared for her more. I've spend so many sleepless nights, asking myself is she well, is she alive, is she protected, is she with someone else? And some of the answers to those questions scared me. More than I would like to admit.

You can't find someone who doesn't want to be found. But why did she leave me? Why did she leave all of us? Why did she think we wouldn't help her, or forgive her? Why was she so afraid? It hurts me, thinking about her. Because no matter how much time it passes, she is always going to be first and the last thing on my mind. I can still feel her near me. And that gives me hope that she's alive. And that one day, I'll see her again. If it's meant to be, we'll meet again, sometime in the future."

xxxx

8 years later

„Anyone home?" – Stefan asked as he shut the front door.

„Uncle Stefan!" – he heard a familiar voice coming from the kitchen.

Soon enough, he could see a little girl with wild, dark brown hair running at him down the hallway, looking at him with her big, blue eyes and smiling. She rushed at him, clinging to his legs. He smiled down at her, bent over and picked her up in his arms. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and put her hands around his neck.

Bonnie and Damon got married five years ago, when Bonnie got pregnant with their daughter, Elizabeth. They were a real family now. Damon got a job, and Bonnie is just about to get her diploma, since she had to get some time of when she had Elizabeth. Stefan helped around the baby as much as he could, but not as much as Caroline. Caroline was something special to her. That girl owned her heart, and if it were up to her, she would spend every second of every day with her. But as much as she loved her, spending so much time with her wasn't so good for Caroline. Sometimes Stefan would find her, crying over the fact she's never going to have children of her own. And nothing could calm her down, nothing but Elizabeth's arms around her neck.

Bonnie's grandmother refused to speak to her for years, even when Bonnie was ready to speak to her. She finally gave in when Elizabeth was born. Bonnie's mom used to tell her that's because her grandmother forgot how is it to be in love.

Elizabeth pulled her hands from Stefan's neck and looked him in the eyes. When he looked into her eyes, all that he could see was Damon. „Have you found aunt Elena?" – she asked hopefully.

„No baby girl, I have haven't" – he smiled at her.

He never gave up on finding her. He was searching all over the world for her. And he wouldn't hear anything about her not being alive, or about her not wanting to come home. He knew she's somewhere out there, waiting for him to find her.

„Oh" – she said while lowering her head down. „I'm sorry" – she gave him another kiss on the cheek.

„Eliza, are you bugging your uncle Stefan?" – Damon came out of the kitchen with a mop on his shoulder.

Elizabeth shook her head. „I'm only welcoming him back home" – she said as Damon took her in his arms.

Damon was a great dad. He knew how to handle Elizabeth better than Bonnie did. Bonnie always said the two of them have some kind of a special connection. Maybe that's why every time Stefan would look into her eyes all he could see would be Damon.

„Welcome home, brother" – Damon had put his hand on Stefan's shoulder and smiled at him. „Now, let's go and help mommy in the kitchen" – Damon turned his head to Elizabeth who was playing with the ends of his hair. She nodded and smiled at him.

Elizabeth didn't know anything about vampires and witches and werewolves. She was too young, although both Bonnie and Damon were aware she will find out sooner or later. They had no intention of keeping who some of the closest people to her are, but they're going to tell her when she's old enough to understand that some things are meant to be kept as a secret. She didn't know what happened to Elena either. All that Stefan told her is that Elena loved all of them very much, but that one day she got really sad and went away, and now she doesn't know how to come back home, so Stefan has to find her and bring her back. Which wasn't that far away from the truth.

„Stefan! You're back!" – he saw Caroline coming down the stairs. She ran into him and put her arms around his neck, giving him and kiss on the cheek. „Any luck?" – she asked silently. Stefan shook his head.

Caroline lowered her look to the floor. Caroline missed Elena, very much. She was her best friend. She was the person Caroline could tell everything to. And then one day, she just disappeared. Without even saying goodbye.

„One day, you will find her" – she took him by the hand.

In the past 8 years, Stefan and Caroline really got closer. Especially after her and Tyler broke up. They simply couldn't find a way to make it work, with her being a vampire. They couldn't see a future together, and that was too painful for Caroline. She couldn't just stand there and wait for the time for him to disappear from her life one day. But she never.. she never did stop loving him. Even now, when he's engaged to some girl he had met at college, she never did stop loving him. Stefan said that's because he's the love of her life. As much as Caroline liked the thought of that, she found it sad, since she would never get the chance to spend her life with him. Sadder was the thought of her never loving another person like she loved Tyler. Stefan was really there for her when she and Tyler broke up, and spending time together became a daily routine for them. He became a person she can tell everything to, and when he was with her, he wouldn't think about Elena as much. He would miss her all the same, but she wouldn't be on his mind as much.

„You know what Damon says, you can't find someone who doesn't want to be found" – a painful smile appeared on his face.

„And you know what I say?" – she raised her head up to look at him.

„No" – he said while shaking his head.

She looked around herself. „That 90% of the time, Damon has no idea what he's talking about" – she said silently.

Stefan laughed out loud. In these past 8 years, her and Elizabeth were the only people who could make him smile.

„Now let's go to join our friends" – she pulled him by the hand in the kitchen.

They sat by the table and Damon had put food on it. That's the only thing Damon could do in the kitchen, set the table, because he had no idea how to cook. Bonnie often joked Elizabeth is a better cook than Damon.

Elizabeth sat in the chair between Stefan and Caroline. „Uncle Stefan, mommy and daddy won't tell me how they met. Will you tell me?" – she looked at him with her bright blue eyes, lowering her head on the table.

Stefan raised his look up at Bonnie and Damon who were already looking at him. Bonnie shook her head.

„Please" – she said with a soft voice, putting her hand on his.

How could he say no to that? Caroline smiled because she knew Elizabeth knew exactly what to do to get what she wants.

„Well.." – Stefan started talking. „Me and your daddy just came to the town, so we decided to go out to meet people. We went to the Grill and that's where they met" – Stefan smiled at her, satasfied with how he handled the situation.

„Did they like each other from the beginning?" – Elizabeth asked excidetly, happy she's finally hearing the story.

„No, your daddy was full of himself" – Caroline said before Stefan even got a chance to open his mouth. Damon kicked Caroline with his leg under the table. Bonnie gave Damon and Caroline an eye, Elizabeth looked shocked at her father and Stefan laughed out loud. Damon moved his look at him. It was good to see his brother laugh.

„Mommy showed me a picture of aunt Elena" – Elizabeth said looking at Stefan. Stefan stopped laughing and looked down at her. „She is pretty" – a smile curved up in the corners of her lips.

„She's the most beautiful girl in the world" – Stefan said silently.

Elizabeth frowned. „What about aunt Caroline?" – she asked. Damon chocked on his dinner.

A huge grin appeared on Caroline's face. „Yes Stefan, what about aunt Caroline?" – she winked at him, letting him know that she's teasing him.

Stefan felt like he's being trapped. He looked over at Damon who was smirking. „Caroline is beautiful, too. And one day, she's going to find someone who will love her so much that to him, she's going to be the most beautiful girl in the world" – he looked over to Caroline who was smiling at him.

But Elizabeth wouldn't give up. She raised her eyebrow. „But you already think she's beautiful, so why don't the two of you get married and have a baby so I can have someone to play with?" – she kept looking Stefan in the eyes.

He looked over at Caroline who was stunned. He feared Caroline would burst into tears at the thought of her having a child, but she bit her lower lip and held it in.

When the situation became awkward, Damon stepped in. „Because that's not how it works. Now eat your dinner" – he ordered her.

She frowned. „Even the peas?" – she poked the pea with her fork.

„Even the peas" – Damon said seriously.

And she listened to him. She would always listen to him. When the silence in the room became awkward, they heard a doorbell ring.

„I'll get it" – Damon said, getting up from his chair in a hurry.

„Stefan" – they heard Damon's voice from the front door after few seconds.

Stefan looked at Bonnie, then at Caroline, and both of them looked back at him, confused. He got up from the chair and headed to the front door. When he stepped into the hallway, he raised his head up, and stopped walking. He looked at the opened front door, stunned.

„Elena" – he whispered.