Elena Gilbert was sitting on her bed, looking through old photo albums. There were pictures of her, Caroline, and Bonnie as toddlers, pictures of baby Jeremy, and the rest of the family. For some reason a certain picture caught her eye. One of her and her fatherwhen she was five, playing in the snow. She tried to replay the day in her head.

I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on
I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home

She was wearing a pink fluffy coat that made her look like a marshmellow. she was running around and falling face first into the snow. She heard her dad's laugh and got up smiling. She ran to him and touched his leg.

"You're it!" She giggled, running away. She ran past the garden where they grew pumpkins for halloween when her dad would drive the tractor for the hay rides.

"Elena, come on. It's time to in." Her father called. They were in the woods outside there house and the sky was turning gold as the snow clouds disappered. She ran to him and hugged his legs, he picked her up and she feel asleep in his arms as he carried her home.

I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
But I know you're not scared of anything at all
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today

Elena didn't yet know why the leave changed color and lost there leaves in the fall. She did know that her dad wasn't scarred of spiders or the monsters under the bed. She didn't know how far away Snow White and the Dwarfs lived, but she was sure her dad did.

I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away
And we talk and window shop 'til I've forgotten all their names

Her first day of middle school all her old friend, minus Bonnie and Caroline and Matt, had ignored her and laughed at her. She'd came home and burst into tears. Her father had hugged her and lead her to the car. THey drove far away to Danville and got out at Peidmont Mall. They'd walked around looking through shop windows and looking inside stores. He finally got her to talk about her day.

"...And then Kristie said...No, wait, Jamie said...No...Well, somebody said my shirt was ugly."

"I think it's cute." Her dad had said.

I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school
But I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day with you today

She didn't know who she was going to turn to when Bonnie was sick, and Caroline was cheerleading, and Matt wasat football, but she did know she was having a good time with her dad on the way home. She didn't know how long it was going to take to feel better, but she had just had a great day.

I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger
God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he's better than I am
I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run
And I had the best days with you

When she had graduated middle school, she was valedictorian. She had mentioned everything about her teachers, her friends and last but not least, her family.

"My Father wasmy cheerleader though school. Though life. He's got me through every test and every paper I've ever had to write..."

Everynight she prayed for Jeremy, that God would lead him in the right direction and keep him safe. He was already better than her in every way. Elena had grown up in nice house with a big yard for her and her friends to play in.

Then her parents died. No one knew how she lived, but she had. Now, she was looking though old vidieos and found what looked like a blank tape. She needed a tape to record Lost on... She poped it in to check.

There is a video I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me
It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs
And Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

It wasn't blank. It was a vidieo of her and her dad when she was three. He'd sat an esal and some paint for her.

"What are you painting?" He asked.

"Snow white." She'd answered, smiling up at him. "What are painting Daddy?"

"I'm painting a pirate ship for you, princess."

That was when she felt like the most beautiful girl in the world.

And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
For staying back and watching me shine
And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm takin' this chance to say
That I had the best day with you today

She'd grabbed her coat after putting a name on the tape and walked to the cemetrey.

"Hi, Dad." She said sinking to ground in front of the grave. "I just found an old tape of us. And I really just wanted to see you."

She knew she was adopted but this was her Father. She had his eyes and his smile.

"I wanted to thank you for everything, Dad. I wanted to thank you for staying on my side, even when I was wrong, and for giving me your eyes, and watching me at every ballett recetal, football game, cheer competition everything. And...everyday, every moment I spent with you, were the best."