I'm a new but big fan of this couple so, after my first try with In Another Life, I'm bringing you this. I'm happy to know I have some readers interested in reading more from me, and I would appreciate to have your feedback, or just a comment with a "hi, I'm here" once in a while to know you are still with me. It does help a lot, really.

PROLOGUE: LET'S GO BACK... TO THE START?

She leaves the snowglobe at his tombstone. He recognizes it as one of her favorite Christmas ornaments, one she usually kept on her night table. But he's never thought too much about its significance until now.

When he remembers that he gave it to her.

It breaks his heart, because of all things, she treasures this (something from back to a time where they were barely friends to begin with).

Now he can't even touch her, she can't even know he's there.

"But she knows." Liz tells him, the one other person who is often watching over her. "And one day, we'll have all the time in the world."

Regrets disappear when you find peace. Although he would have preferred to keep his promise to her, and stay by her side to see the girls grow up, perhaps some part of him still knew that he would only hold her back.

If anyone could, then Caroline would understand.

And one day they would see each other again.

She carries on

He looks at her, admiring just how strong she is (the strongest person he's ever known, he should have told her this more than he did when he was alive).

A decade is nothing compared to the centuries she has ahead, he knows. But a decade later she's still alone.

It's a bit frustrating to see that Alaric doesn't take good care of her.

Neither does Damon, who checks on her from time to time, but has become busy, living his own life. At last he is happy, and Stefan is happy for his brother. His sacrifice wasn't in vain.

Regrets disappear when you have peace.

He could have never given Caroline that kind of life anyway.

She's meant to live a long, fulfilling immortal life. Stefan knows he'll have to wait, but one day they will see each other again. He's failed at keeping many promises, but when he told her he would love her forever, that wasn't even a promise. It's just the truth.

And one day, far sooner than he could have ever expected, she dies. For someone who is already in the afterlife, death clearly does not mean the end of existence. And for someone who is selfish as he is, this should bring even joy because he gets to see her again.

There's never even been a doubt that Caroline would be at peace.

Only she isn't.

The world is still an unfair place that gives him the chance to redeem himself but takes from her the chance to live with her daughters a normal life (as normal as it could get for a vampire).

All she ever did was to help her daughters break the curse of the Gemini merge. All she ever did was to help Hope Mikaelson when the girl lost both her parents.

But things never come without consequences.

The outcome is revenge in the form of a curse that someone as good as Caroline doesn't deserve.

"I'm sorry, Stefan." Bonnie says, when it's her turn to come over. "I couldn't find a way."

Time doesn't pass by in the same way in the afterlife and in the world of the living. But in the loneliness of his house, right in front of this fireplace where he spent so many nights with her, all he can think is about how she must be suffering.

He can't even see her now.

He'd do everything to exchange places with her (because she deserves Heaven, while he deserves Hell).

It's a good thing his brother manages to find peace. He always had faith in Damon. But then again, he was sure he'd reunite with Caroline.

How he wishes he'd done right by her when he had the chance. To have stayed by her side, making sure something like this had never happened.

This is the bittersweet taste of regret.

So he's no longer at peace.

He wakes up when his phone keeps ringing.

"Hey."

"Hi. Tell me you did buy something."

He's surprised to hear Elena's voice. It sounds so different, but he can't quite describe how.

"What?" He asks, confused. Buy what?

"The Secret Santa present, Stefan. Matt got me, and Bonnie got Tyler, which means you got Caroline. Tell me you already got her gift, because she's going to be pissed if you don't."

He jerks in bed, suddenly completely awake, and puts his phone away to look at the date.

It can't be.

But he looks around, and his room definitely isn't the same as it's been ever since he got to this place. The colors are all wrong. There's nothing of what Caroline chose herself when she moved in, and that stayed in his version of peace.

What startles him the most is the hunger.

It's been too long since he craved human blood.

So it must be true. Somehow, he's in December 19th, 2009.