AUTHOR'S NOTE
- PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: The TVD character 'Liam Davis' will be introduced in this story. He'll play a big role in Elena's life, but I meant what I said about this story having a stelena endgame. Just be patient and enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or the characters, I make no money from this.
Elena makes her way across the football stadium field, squeezing past people in black graduation robes and formal clothing when she spots Jeremy, Alaric and Jo looking around for her. Jo spots her first, smiling and waves her over; Elena rushes over to them, hugging Jeremy first with an ecstatic beam on her face.
"You did it, Elena!" Jeremy says, his light stubble scratching her skin and Elena pulls away, hugging Alaric and Jo.
"Congratulations," Alaric smiles.
"Now onto medical school! You've worked so hard, I just know you're going to be a great doctor," Jo says warmly, holding Alaric's hand. "Here, let me get some photos of you guys."
Elena met Jo Laughlin a year ago, when she'd arrived home early from college to find Jo in the kitchen, making lunch and pressing a kiss to Alaric's cheek. Apparently they'd met at a hospital clinic of all places, it'd taken them awhile to officially start dating but Elena was happy for him; Jo was kind and easygoing, and Alaric deserved to find love again. Interestingly enough, Jo was also a witch, which made their relationship even stronger and Jo would often discuss covens and magic with Bonnie whenever the whole gang would get together.
They finish taking a few photos just as Tyler and Mrs. Lockwood approach their little group. Elena and Tyler immediately hug, and Jeremy high-fives Tyler obligingly as the older adults exchange pleasantries.
"Now just to go through law school and medical school," Tyler jokes, pulling away from Elena and adjusts his graduation cap. Even after he and Caroline broke up a year ago, Tyler's been one of Elena's closest friends (not that Caroline minds). They've spent countless nights studying together, getting drunk at parties after football games and overall, getting through college together.
"I'm gonna miss you, Ty. I know we still have the summer, but don't go having too much fun when you're in California for law," Elena warns him teasingly.
"C'mon, you know it won't be the same without you. Who else can I drag along to party with me? Hey, remember when we went to Arby's, you were super drunk and you started singing when we were right in front of the cashier?"
Jeremy snorts and Elena can't help but bury her face in her hands with a mortified look, "Don't even remind me, that was so embarrassing. Never again will I mix sushi with alcohol."
"Okay, you two, why don't we go get something to eat, hmm?" Mrs. Lockwood asks, and everyone choruses in agreement. Elena grins, happy to be surrounded by her loved ones, prepared to celebrate and say a bittersweet goodbye to this chapter of her life.
"Hey Stef. I can't believe it's been five years since you died...time just flies right by. I finally graduated, got my bachelor's degree in biological sciences! But I still have to jump through some hoops before I actually become a doctor, I finally get to start med school in the fall. Tyler's going to California to start law school too, we're kinda in the same boat. Caroline's done with school altogether, she's going to try and work for a news station. Matt's going to become a police officer for Mystic Falls. Bonnie still needs to take her accreditation program to become a teacher, but we've all graduated. I'm getting on with my life, really...I'm actually excited for the future. It really...when I lost my family, and then you too...there was always a part of me that didn't want to move forward. But I'm ready now. I want to see what's out there for me. I can only hope you're happy too. I love you."
"Bonnie, hi! I didn't think I'd hear from you so soon, how are you, what's Madrid like? Any cute Spanish guys?" Elena asks cheerily, taking an early morning jog in the quiet streets of Mystic Falls.
"Of course! I'm actually meeting someone later today...I kinda met him at an art show a couple days ago," Bonnie answers bashfully, and Elena laughs.
"Look at you, just scooping up guys left and right!"
"Yeah, yeah, anyways, Madrid's great, it's so beautiful here. I went to this place called the Crystal Palace, it was so beautiful, I took a million photos. Actually, um, I went to this district known for witchcraft, sort of a hub for a couple covens...and I saw Damon there," Bonnie explains hesitantly, and Elena nearly trips over her own feet at the mention of Damon. It's not like she hasn't wondered about Damon, but she never imagined that one of her friends would see him in another country.
"Did you guys talk?"
"No, I don't even think he saw me, much less knew I was in the same country as him. It was pretty dark out, I kinda hid myself and it looked like he was arguing with some woman, probably a witch. Honestly, he didn't look that great. He had a bit of a beard and his hair was pretty long. It just caught me off-guard."
"Hmm, interesting."
In truth, Elena doesn't know what to think about Damon. No, things will never be the same between them, any feelings between them are long gone and after all, it's been years since she's seen him. She's not the same girl from high school, caught between two brothers while defending her home from malevolent supernatural outsiders. She does think that it was wrong of her to blame Damon for Stefan's death, it's not his fault but she feels no need to call him. Maybe one day she'll dial his number, just to talk things through but she's fine with where her life is at the moment.
A month into medical school for Elena, Caroline comes down to visit. Elena's more than happy to spend time with her friend, and Caroline has hardly changed over the years despite neither having as much time to hang out. Currently, they're sitting in a bar, nursing cosmos and chatting about how their lives are going on right now.
"My mom told me that police work is going pretty well for Matt, he'll be up for patrol duty soon," Caroline comments casually, taking a sip of her drink.
"That's good, I talked to him last week for a little bit and he said the work is gruelling but still, he's liking it so far. How's your job hunt going?" Elena asks, and Caroline looks a little despondent.
"Everyone's always surprised when I say I'm twenty-three, because these damn vampire genes make me look seventeen," Caroline grumbles, "I'm looking for an apartment too, in one of the towns outside of Mystic Falls...people are already suspicious because I haven't aged at all."
"Does it ever bother you?" Elena presses gently, and Caroline shrugs, tracing the rim of her glass.
"Sometimes. I mean, I'm gonna have to move every few years because I won't age, right? Being stuck looking like a teenager for the rest of my life won't exactly be a walk in the park, but compulsion can help with that. But I'll never get wrinkles, won't have to invest my money in skincare and I'll be young and beautiful forever," Caroline smiles, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "I could go anywhere in the world, be anyone I want. Who knows, maybe I'll get bored of broadcasting and take on a new career later on. Didn't Stefan get a bunch of degrees?"
"Yeah, he went to a bunch of Ivy League schools."
"I could totally do that!"
"I don't doubt it."
"I'll always have to become someone new, let an old life go...still, it only feels like I'm getting older, never younger. We're all going to be growing up forever," Caroline says out of the blue, sounding unusually pensive.
"That's just a part of life. But you'll always be Caroline Forbes, planner extraordinaire and my best friend," Elena nudges Caroline's arm, the two girls exchanging chuckles and they finish up their cosmos.
Elena stands in her empty bedroom, surveying the empty space and the whole house feels so hollow now that it's been cleared out, prepared for another family. It had taken a lot of debate and discussion, but they'd made the decision to sell the house several months ago. They just hadn't had much reason to stay there anymore; Jeremy's in Maryland and Elena's at Duke, the place is too big for Jo and Alaric, who are now moving into their own place. In the end, only memories were keeping the house alive, but it's time to move on.
"It feels surreal, doesn't it?" Jeremy's voice rings from behind Elena, and she turns around to see her brother leaning against the doorway of their shared bathroom. "I knew we wouldn't stay here forever, but still...it's harder than I thought it would be."
"I know the feeling," Elena sighs heavily, after all, she's spent holidays here, created so many happy memories with her family and friends. This is the room where she'd giggle quietly with Caroline and Bonnie during sleepovers, where she and Stefan would spend mornings together lost in giddy bliss and where her mom would come to comfort her after a rough day at school. There's so much history embedded in these walls, but it's time to let go. "But it's the right choice, we're moving on. It's just a relic now."
"I know," Jeremy agrees, looking down momentarily, and they can hear Alaric calling them, saying it's time for them to leave. "I just thought we'd have more time, you know?"
Elena gives her old bedroom one last look, wiping away a stray tear and nods, "Yeah, so did I."
The whole Mystic Falls gang decides to head down to Virginia Beach as a Fourth of July celebration, piling into one car with a bucketload of snacks (as well as some blood bags for Caroline). Elena squishes into the back between Matt and Caroline, the three of them cracking jokes the whole ride while Tyler and Bonnie sit in the front, playfully arguing about what music to blast.
They spend all their time at the beach, Tyler and Matt throw around a football while the three girls suntan and gossip, before everyone heads into the water; they splash each other with giddy shrieks, play a little frisbee before talking quietly as the waves make them rock back-and-forth in the water.
Once nightfall hits and they're done with dinner, they open up their beers, build a fire on the beach and slip on old sweaters to block out the cool wind. Bonnie actually manages to start the flame with her magic, eliciting rowdy cheers from Matt and Tyler; all of them huddle up under blankets, watching fireworks go off in the distance with bright grins.
Elena knows it's another memory she'll cherish years from now.
Elena breaks away from her friends, all of them splitting up to find their group members for a big research project that's just been assigned. She spots two of them in the corner, the one girl with a septum piercing named Cindy and the guy with the large arm tattoo, Travis.
She walks over, giving them a polite smile, "Hey, I'm Elena. You guys are in my group, right?"
The two of them nod, when their last group member comes over expectantly. "Hi, I'm Liam."
"Cool. We should probably exchange numbers, right? Work out a schedule for the project and what we'll be doing," Travis says briskly, and they all nod.
"You guys can put your numbers in my phone. Here," Elena hands her phone to Liam before anyone can protest, but thankfully there's a chorus of agreement. They all input their numbers into her phone, talking a little about their schedules before parting ways with polite smiles and hesitant goodbyes.
Elena practically throws her phone back into her bag, letting out a frustrated huff and runs a hand over her face. Her phone is magically dead, she forgot her house keys back home and she has no way to get home or even call her roommate, Georgia to see if she's done work yet.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Elena turns around to see Liam's still packing up his stuff, watching her curiously. Cindy and Travis are already gone, they all spent the last two hours working together and he's the only one left in the quiet study room.
"Fine, I..." Elena sighs, trying to calm down, "Today's just not my day. I need to call my roommate, but my phone's dead...do you have a charger?"
"I'm sorry, I don't," Liam replies apologetically, and Elena suppresses a groan, "If you need a ride home, I have a car. I can drive you back to your place, does your landlord live in the same building as you? Usually they have keys that can help you get into your apartment."
"My landlord lives half an hour away, I don't wanna bother him over something like this."
"If you wanted, you could come back to my place, charge your phone and figure out everything there?" Liam offers, but Elena's a little hesitant. It's not like Liam's a complete stranger, they've talked a couple times but hardly enough to be considered friends. Liam seems to notice Elena's wary expression, and continues, "I swear, I'm not gonna kidnap you or do anything remotely creepy. I have two roommates, Rory and Patrick, they're both really nice, Patrick's girlfriend is usually over, she's pretty outgoing and chill. Or, I could introduce you to my landlord, Mrs. Shand, if you want to be extra careful! She makes delicious blondies, and even if she'll end up talking both our ears off for half an hour, I swear it's worth it for her baking."
Elena can't help but chuckle a little, grabbing her bag, "Okay, let's go. But if you're anything short of a gentleman, you'll be in a lot trouble."
"Noted," Liam smiles.
"...I literally said, 'this is my sister's dog, not yours, we got him when I was six,' and this woman is just shaking her head, not listening to a word I'm saying, and then my sister comes along, and she's a firecracker. You don't come out of an argument alive with her, it's impossible," Liam says, and Elena laughs, leaning in closer to hear Liam over the loud music in the bar, "My sister's going off, she's talking so fast and this woman just slowly backs away, jaw dropping. My sister still doesn't understand what she did that was so funny."
Elena's about to open her mouth to respond when her friend, Jordan, comes over carrying two drinks, "Here you go! Oh, Liam, someone was looking for you near the pool table, a guy named Jose."
"Oh! Yeah, he drove me here. I'll be right back, sorry," Liam flashes a smile at Elena, his eyes lingering on her before disappearing into the sea of rowdy college students. Jordan turns to Elena with a knowing look, which she pointedly ignores while sipping her beer.
"You two are adorable, why haven't you asked him out yet?! Get a move on!" Jordan chastises her, but Elena shakes her head.
"Jor, c'mon, me and Liam are still...becoming friends. I don't even know if he's actually single, I just wanna get to know him better."
"Oh please, the way he looks at you, if he's dating someone then I might as well be elected president next year," Jordan scoffs, and Elena gives her an amused look, "You have to get to know the other person in every relationship, that doesn't change. Seriously, you should ask him out! What's really stopping you?"
Elena just waves Jordan off, changing the subject to an upcoming lab for a class but the question still lingers in the back of her mind. It's not like she hasn't been on dates before, in fact she's dated a couple guys casually for a couple months before it faded out; schedules got in the way, her education path isn't always the most manageable and she's only twenty-five, no one's in a rush to get serious. Besides, she's lost so much. Putting herself back in the position of vulnerability isn't an easy choice.
"I think it's dying," Georgia admits glumly, staring at the Christmas plant on the table, "I suck at taking care of anything."
Elena laughs, "I think it can be salvaged, we can still save the little guy."
"You're gonna be a fancy big-shot doctor, I'll leave it to you, I'll probably just poison it," Georgia remarks, when the intercom buzzer goes off, "Do you wanna get that?"
Elena nods, walking to the foyer and presses the button, "Hello?"
Elena lets go of the button, and Liam's voice comes through the speaker, "Elena, it's Liam. Um, do you have time to come down and talk?"
"Oh! Okay, sure, I'll be down there in a minute," Elena replies, a little confused and grabs her coat off the hanger, "Georg, I'll be right back!"
Elena walks out of the apartment, making her way down the stairs and out the front doors. She finds Liam pacing along her apartment complex walkway, tapping his phone against his palm and she knows it means he's nervous about something. "Hey, what's up?"
"Hey," Liam whirls around to face her, clearly trying to pull himself together, "I'm, uh, I'm here. To ask you out, I mean! I really like you, Elena. Now, you can totally say no, I won't blame you at all. I just know if I didn't do this before the holidays, I'd just be super pissed at myself and I couldn't miss my chance. So, what do you say?"
"Yeah, okay," Elena replies slowly, smiling and Liam's face immediately lights up, before going back to nonchalance. "Maybe after the holidays? I'm leaving Friday, I have a bunch of stuff to do before then so I feel like January would be better, if that's okay with you. We can make plans over the holidays, I'm up for just about anything, honestly."
"I don't mind the wait," he answers, his eyes shining and Elena's trying to tamper down the grin growing wider on her face. "I'll text you later...I better go, gotta head back home...anyways, Merry Christmas, Elena."
"Merry Christmas, Liam. I'll see you on our date," Elena says, stepping forward and she can tell Liam's confused until she presses her lips against his.
Elena parks in the driveway of the boardinghouse, shivering a little as she steps out of her car and into the cold air of the winter night. She doubts the boardinghouse will be any warmer, it hasn't been heated or air-conditioned in years; she unlocks the front door, stepping inside the foyer and frowns, noticing some of the lights in the house have been turned on.
"Hello? Is somebody here?" Elena yells warily, walking through the house and picks up a heavy candle holder, just in case she needs to knock someone out. Suddenly, there's a crashing noise upstairs, and Elena rushes up the stairs. "Who's there?!"
She slowly walks through the upstairs hallway, seeing a light on in the stairway to Stefan's room and creeps up there quietly. She peeks into the room, the door creaking slightly and she spots someone huddled on the ground, Stefan's diaries at their feet. The person suddenly turns around, and Elena finds herself staring at a distraught Damon, his eyes wild and he looks completely wrecked.
She walks into the room, approaching him cautiously, "Damon...what's going on? What are you doing here, why are you messing up Stefan's room?"
"I...I couldn't save him. I tried so hard and nothing. IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!" Damon screams, throwing another diary back on the ground.
"Damon, stop! Don't, stop it!" Elena rushes towards him, pushing away the diaries surrounding him, "Don't ruin these! These diaries are all that's left of Stefan, stop!"
Damon suddenly collapses into Elena's arms, startling her and she's even more surprised when Damon begins to cry earnestly, mumbling incoherently, "Couldn't...save Stefan...never...gone for good...sorry….I'm sorry…"
"...spent all this time looking for a way to bring Stefan back, but apparently the witches weren't willing to help, the rituals were asking for too much. There were too many unpredictable variables to consider, especially with a vampire like Stefan. Then they said," Elena swallows, trying to continue on, "at some point, he couldn't be reached anymore. The witches said Stefan found Peace, it's hard to bring someone back once they no longer have unfinished business. So...Damon kinda went off the rails for awhile, but I think he's back here for awhile."
"All these years searching, wow. I don't know a whole lot about resurrection spells, besides what I did for Jeremy but still...definitely sounds tricky. And Damon...he really cried?" Bonnie asks skeptically, cutting up potatoes and Elena nods.
"Just like that. It must've been rough for him, being out there all alone, chasing dead-ends. But I think he's gonna stay here for a bit."
"It's possible that he's back for you."
"I don't know...it's been a long time, the last time we ever talked was eight years ago, both of us have changed. I mean, everything changed for us once Stefan died. I think the train for me and a Salvatore has passed."
Bonnie hums thoughtfully, "Good point. I guess if Damon's realized the whole resurrection thing is hopeless by now, then he'd come back to here. We'd understand, because we knew Stefan, we're his connection to his brother. You're the strongest tie out of all of us, you loved Stefan the most."
"That's true, but I'm only in Mystic Falls for a couple weeks, I have to go back to Duke anyway. This place was Damon's home, and it was Stefan's too. It holds memories for him, it's not just us."
"Fair point. So, what does Liam have planned for your date?" Bonnie asks with a knowing smile, and Elena tries not to blush.
"Just dinner and we'll walk around a little, nothing too special. Sometimes I can't help but mentally count down to our date in my mind, it sounds so silly," Elena chuckles.
"Nah, it's nice that you're looking forward to the date. More importantly, you're allowed to be happy about this," Bonnie points out, and Elena smiles, forgetting how her best friend can see right through her, past her happiness and excitement and find her shame and guilt.
Later at Christmas dinner, everyone is talking amongst themselves at the table, winding down from stuffing their faces with turkey and cornbread. Bonnie's talking quietly with Matt, and his girlfriend, Shailene, is laughing at something Caroline said; even Damon, who'd been invited at the last minute, is talking with Alaric while Elena's talking with Jeremy and Jo. Suddenly, Alaric stands up with an impatient smile, causing the whole room to quiet down.
"Should we tell them now?" Jo asks quietly, and Elena glances between the two of them quickly.
"Are you guys getting married?!" Caroline exclaims loudly, her eyes wide.
"Well...yes," the whole room gasps, "but that's not just it."
"Jo's pregnant," Alaric announces, and everyone erupts into celebration.
"Oh my god! That's amazing!"
"A baby! That's great, and a wedding! Ooh, can I help plan?"
"Congrats!"
"Wow!"
There's a round of hugging, everyone beginning to pepper the couple with questions. Elena's grinning so widely, an. arm around Jeremy as Jo recounts the story of how she found out; it's a sweet reminder that life continues to grow, to go on even with loss lingering.
"So, when did you decide you wanted to be a doctor?" Liam asks as the two of them walk around a local park, carrying cannolis and the cool breeze tickles Elena's chin gently.
"Well, my dad was actually a doctor, he ran his own clinic but I didn't really consider it until my senior year of high school. My boyfriend at the time, he wanted to be a doctor too, and he kind of inspired me to become one."
"So...I'm guessing the breakup didn't mess with your dreams of med school?"
"No, we," Elena hesitates, swallowing and continues on, "he died. He was murdered, trying to protect me...the guy who killed him, he's put away for life but yeah, it happened the summer before my senior year."
"Wow...so your biological and adoptive parents died, and so did your aunt and your boyfriend?"
Elena manages a weak laugh, "Yeah, I know, it's pretty morbid. But I still have my brother, Jeremy and I have Alaric, he's kind of my stepdad, he was married to my biological mother. And he's engaged now, so his fiancée, Jo, is kind of like an honorary family member, and they're expecting so that'll be another addition. I have all my friends from Mystic Falls, people I've known my whole life so they've been like my second family for a long time too."
"That's nice, it sounds like you've got some good people in your life. My family kinda went through something similar...when my dad left out of the blue, things were really rough. Everyone kinda blamed my mom for what happened, as if she'd done something wrong. I was only five when he left, so I didn't know all of this but it was confusing. My mom had to adjust to raising two kids by herself without any help for a long time...oh god, this is turning into a pity party. This is not what I wanted to discuss on our first date."
"No, no, it's fine. If anything, it's nice to learn more about you," Elena replies, giving Liam a tentative kiss on the cheek and he glances at her, his eyes bright as he grins happily.
"Caroline, hey! I haven't heard from you in awhile," Elena says, rifling through her textbooks, "I can't talk for long, me and Liam are going out for dinner."
"Ooh, dinner, hmm? Celebrating your three-month anniversary?"
"No, just going on a date. We wouldn't celebrate a tiny milestone like that."
"Okay, well, no worries, I won't keep you on for long. I was wondering if you could come down to Mystic Falls this weekend, for the bridesmaids' dress fitting. You're the last person I'm waiting on, I already checked in with Jo's other bridesmaids."
"Okay, yeah, sure! Just tell me a time later, and I'll be there. I'm guessing the wedding planning is pretty hectic, huh?"
"It's a little less stressful when you're a vampire that just needs blood to survive. Besides, I'm surrounded by amateurs. I got Bonnie and Damon to come over the other day to help, and they were basically useless, just cracking jokes and throwing snarky remarks at each other."
"I guess that's kinda their thing now, right?"
"Yeah...I never thought I'd see the day that those two would become friends, but stranger things have happened. Especially where Damon's concerned, like when he was dishing out apologies to everyone for a week. It was even more surprising that they seemed to actually be genuine. "
Elena chuckles, "Well, have things ever really been normal where all of us are concerned?"
"Well...no," both of them laugh, "Anyways, I better go. I'll see you this weekend!"
It's a couple weeks away from Alaric and Jo's wedding, and Elena's debating over whether or not to invite Liam.
"-too early, right? We haven't been dating for that long, it's stupid, it's too soon. I mean, there's still so much I haven't told him, he's gonna ask about Caroline because she looks ten years younger than all of us, I'll have to tell him about Damon too, which will be confusing because Damon looks younger than us now! And Jeremy can be really overprotective, maybe I-"
"Elena, if you're obsessing over it this much, then invite him to the wedding," Bonnie replies soothingly, "It sounds like you're just coming up with excuses even though you really do want him to go."
"I'm just nervous…"
"That's not a bad thing. Look, just invite him. It's a wedding, no one will even dare ruin the day for Alaric and Jo, Caroline won't allow it. It'll be a good chance to introduce him to everyone and have some fun."
"Okay. Okay, yeah, I'll invite him...what about you, are you taking anyone to the wedding? You haven't really dated anyone since you broke up with Jesse last year."
"Nah, I'm going by myself. It'll be more fun anyway, maybe I can just hook up with a cute doctor friend of Jo's or another witch."
"Or maybe you'd rather take on Damon."
"Shut up, we're just friends. It's not like you, Tyler or Caroline are close by anymore, Jo and Alaric are preparing for the baby and the wedding, and Matt's usually on patrol when I'm done work. It's not like that between us."
"Whatever you say."
Alaric and Jo's wedding goes beautifully, taking place in an old barn with twinkling lights strung overhead and beautifully assembled flowers adorning the room. Jeremy's serving as Alaric's best man, while Elena's one of Jo's bridesmaids; Caroline's uncharacteristically snappish all day along until the wedding ceremony starts, at which point only genuine happiness for the couple remains.
The reception takes place at a banquet hall just outside of Mystic Falls, but it's set up just as beautifully and laughter fills the air, the energy in the room is infectious and Elena's cheeks begin to hurt from smiling too hard. Liam's a perfect gentleman when he gets around to meet everyone; of course, he's a little confused when he meets Caroline in person and learns that Damon is Stefan's older brother but otherwise, introductions go off well.
"Are those two dating?" Liam murmurs curiously, the two of them dancing slowly while a melodic love song plays over the speakers.
"Who?" Elena pulls back a little, letting Liam guide her and he juts his head towards Bonnie and Damon, who are also dancing a little too close for comfort, "No...well, not yet. We'll see. I'm sure Caroline and Alaric have some secret bet going on about those two."
"Noted," Liam chuckles, and Elena rests her chin tenderly on Liam's shoulder.
"Thank you for coming, I'm glad you got to meet everyone."
"So am I, everyone's been really nice. There's nowhere else I'd rather be other than right here with you," Liam replies softly, and she pulls back briefly, going in for a kiss.
"Hey Stef. I got a lot to tell you, all good news, don't worry. You might know that Damon's back in town...I wouldn't be surprised if he's already been here a couple times. He's changed, honestly...not quite the same Damon you knew, he's a lot more genuine but still snarky. I guess that's not really a thing though. Oh, I think something's going on with him and Bonnie. Well, I'm not the only one who thinks so, everyone says it'll be any day now. Jo and Alaric are married, they're getting ready for the twins. I'm seeing someone, he actually came to Ric's wedding and met everyone briefly. His name is Liam, he's in the same program as me and we've been dating for six or seven months now. It's going really well, I'm happy with him. All of us are happy now. I hope that gives you some peace of mind. Just know that I'll always love you."
Elena bursts into the hospital suite room, immediately rushing over to the bed; she spots two bundles, one in each parent's arms and grins.
"Are these the girls?" Elena asks in a hushed voice, her eyes flickering between Alaric and Jo.
"This is Josette Olivia Saltzman, but she'll always be Josie," Jo explains softly, gesturing to the baby in Alaric's arms, "and the little one that I have is Elizabeth Jenna Saltzman, known as Lizzie."
"Jenna...I love those names. Welcome to the world, Josie and Lizzie," Elena grins, reaching down to examine the little faces of her family.
"I'm just gonna go use the washroom, then we can leave-urgh, that was so sticky!" Bonnie cries in outrage after Damon gives her a kiss on the cheek, but she's smiling and Elena's trying not to giggle. "I won't take too long, I swear."
"You two are cute together, I'm happy for you guys," Elena admits once she's sure that Bonnie's gone, "Honestly, it took you long enough."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, call me coward but I didn't want to jump into it, is that so bad?" Damon protests, but his words have no bite, if anything he just seems content, "Besides, she crept up on me before I realized what was happening. It's no secret that I'm an idiot."
"Yeah, definitely not," Elena chuckles, "I think...I think it was always meant to be this way. You and me, I mean. It never would've worked between us."
"No, it wouldn't have, not in a good way," Damon agrees matter-of-factly, cleaning up their breakfast, "Besides, you've got that Liam guy. He's still treating you well, right?"
"Of course. Don't go all big brother on me, I'm pretty sure Jeremy's already kinda filled that position."
"Hey, it's just a question! If anything, I'm just filling in Stefan's position, you know he'd want me to look out for you."
"You don't need to worry, Damon, I'm happy."
Elena hands Liam the worn photograph, and his eyes widen in shock, his hands running over the picture.
"You weren't joking, the two of you really do look alike," he remarks dazedly.
"Well, we wouldn't count as doppelgängers if we didn't look alike," Elena points out nervously.
"And she turned Stefan and Damon back in 1864?"
"Yeah, she generally causes trouble wherever she goes."
"So, Stefan saved you from drowning when your car went off the bridge and he stayed in town because you looked like Katherine?"
"At first, it was because he thought I might be her. Katherine's known for doing that kind of stuff, getting people to do her bidding and he thought she was in the tomb, so he stuck around to see if it was actually her. After that, he just wanted to know what kind of person I was, which I understand. It's not like Katherine gave him a happy and prosperous life. But how are you feeling so far? I know this is a lot to take in."
"I...I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, if I'm being honest. But I'm dealing. I'm glad you told me."
"I know I should've told you sooner, but I felt like our one-year anniversary was a good time to be honest...and some of this is serious. I've lost people because of all this crap, and I wanted to be sure before I let you in on this world and told you about the things that really can hurt us," Elena explains earnestly, and Liam nods.
"I get it, really. Don't worry, it's you and me against the world," Liam replies, grabbing Elena's hand and kisses it gently.
Elena fiddles with the hem of her dress, listening nervously as footsteps echo inside the house; Liam brushes a hand through her hair soothingly, helping her relax a little.
"They're gonna love you, don't worry," he whispers reassuringly, just as the front door opens and a middle-aged woman with light brown hair and hazel eyes opens the door, looking excited.
"Hi, come in!" she says, gesturing for them to come in and Elena steps into the foyer first, other people coming to greet them.
"Hey Mom," Liam says, giving the woman a kiss on the cheek, "This is my girlfriend, Elena Gilbert."
"It's so good to finally meet you, Liam's told us so much about you already! You can call me Nadine," his mom says, giving Elena a warm hug.
"It's nice to meet you too," Elena replies, feeling a little less nervous and Liam pulls her attention towards the rest of his family.
"This is my sister, Christina," Elena shakes her hand, noting the resemblance between Liam and his sister, "My stepsister, Tasha and my step-dad, Brett and my abuelita."
"Liam's told me so much about you guys, I'm glad I'm finally getting to meet all of you. I made you guys a cream cheese pound cake, it was my mother's recipe, just as a thanks for having me over," Elena says, taking the container out from under her arm with a tentative smile.
"Ooh, that looks good," Christina whistles, "I'll take it and go put it in the fridge, Mom's probably gonna give you the whole tour."
"She might be hungry!" Liam's abuelita protests, "Elena, dear, do you want some food? I could peel you an orange or get you some grapes."
"Amaya, I'm just going to show Elena around, it won't take that long," Nadine points out. Elena ends up being accosted by Liam's entire family, everyone chatting animatedly and she glances back at Liam, slightly amused and he mouths welcome to the family with a smile.
"Okay...I think I have everything," Elena says, rifling through her bag anxiously, "but maybe I should check again."
"Babe," Liam kisses her cheek, rubbing her back reassuringly, "You've already checked twice, I know you prepared a week early for your first day. You got this, you're gonna rock your residency program, I just know it."
"Right, yeah. It's just...nerves and jitters, I mean now I'm really in the thick of it! Somehow, I don't feel fully prepared anymore," Elena sighs, her leg jiggling nervously from under the counter and Liam shakes his head in disbelief.
"Stop it, you're going to be amazing, okay? I gotta go now, but good luck. I love you," Liam kisses her, and she smiles, "and I'll see you later."
"You're the best. Love you too!"
Elena settles into a nice but somewhat busy routine, now that she's finally working. She works long hours most days of the week, but so does Liam and their busy schedules at the hospital don't really bother either of them. She's not too far from Mystic Falls, it's only an hour-long drive and sometimes someone will drop by for a visit, or they'll go back to town to check in on everyone.
Elena's an early riser, so she'll usually try to squeeze in a run in the mornings and come to back to her and Liam's apartment, where coffee and breakfast is usually waiting for her. Neither of them are the greatest cooks, but they're both trying to learn by taking turns cooking and sometimes they'll invite over their friends from work for a nice dinner.
It's true, she's not living a glamorous life like Caroline who's working in New York City, or travelling the world like Bonnie is with Damon, but she likes where she's at. She enjoys the mornings when it's quiet out and the sun is shining, the moments where she helps someone in the hospital and watches their family smile in relief, and the nights where she's in bed with Liam, their legs jumbled together under the sheets and they laugh about something funny they heard at work. It's nothing special, no different from the lives that others lead and yet to Elena, it's so beautifully normal.
When Elena turns twenty-nine, Liam takes Elena away to Florence as a celebration. They visit cathedrals and museums, buy gelatos and walk around the cobbled streets of the city. And on the third night, Liam turns to her, getting down on one knee and the world stops for a moment.
"Elena Marie Gilbert, when I met you four years ago, I had no idea that I'd be meeting the most important person in my life. I never knew I could love someone so much until I met you, and there's no way I could ever let you go. You're my whole life now, so will you marry me?" Liam asks, holding out a beautiful diamond ring and Elena has a hand over her mouth, tears sparkling in her eyes and her heart is drumming loudly in her chest.
"Yes. Yes, I will marry you!" Elena cries ecstatically, grinning tearily and Liam smiles, laughing delightedly; he gets back up, sliding the ring on her finger and pulls her in for a kiss under the starry night in Florence.
Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated! Final chapter coming soon.