And here we are at the final chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite or followed this story.

Slayer Compound

Morning

The sun was just starting to rise as, inside the Compound, the others were getting to work. Willow was going over some books, trying to figure out a way to send the Dimension Hoppers back to their original dimension. Xander and Elijah stood guard over Kai and Rayna, who had been placed in a magic stasis field that Willow said would keep them under until she sent them all back.

Buffy was downstairs, doing her best to clean up the mess Lucien and Amy's attack had caused. Spike was a few feet away, helping clean up the mess when Buffy spoke up.

"You've been back, for months," Buffy said and Spike looked up. "But you didn't tell me, didn't even call. Why?"

"I had my reasons at the time. Now they just feel like excuses," Spike said with a sigh.

"I should really punch you for not telling me you were alive," Buffy pointed out and Spike chuckled.

"And I'd probably deserve it. All I can say is I'm sorry. And if you still want me, I'm here. As a friend, as a soldier, whatever you need me to be. I'm just here to help Buffy," Spike said earnestly and she stared at him for a long moment. "What?"

"You just…you seem different," Buffy said as she eyed him, trying to put her finger on it.

"Not really, same old me," Spike shrugged before getting back to work.

No, he wasn't Buffy realized. He was more dedicated to doing the right thing now, not just for her or his guilt. He genuinely wanted to help now.

Upstairs, Stefan was sitting in chair, processing everything that had happened now that his humanity was back on. He nearly doubled over with guilt over all the people he'd killed, most of them innocent. And Caroline, he'd gone out of his way to hurt her. How could he even look her in the eye again?

"You alright?" Stefan was startled out of his guilty musings at the sound of Enzo's voice.

"No," Stefan said honestly.

"Good. The man who's alright after what you've been through is not a man I'd want to meet," Enzo said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, you'll get through this."

"I think I've died and gone to Hell. There is no other explanation as to why you are giving me a pep talk," Stefan said bluntly and Enzo chuckled.

"Yeah, it's weird for me to," Enzo agreed, pulling out a chair and sitting across from Stefan. "But I know what it's like to look in judgment of yourself. Stefan, you weren't yourself."

"Maybe I was," Stefan said in self-loathing.

"Mate, you and I have never gotten along, but I know all your worst kills were done with your humanity off. All my worst sins were done with it on," Enzo pointed out and it was silent for a long moment. "No one will blame you for what you've done because they know you did it for Caroline and her daughters. And if they do, they're not worth it."

"He makes a good point," Klaus noted as he walked over to the pair. "Do not let those who do not matter shame you for things that were outside your control. The only opinions that should matter are those of the people you cannot live without."

"And now I know I'm in Hell, I'm getting advice from you," Stefan deadpanned and Klaus smirked as Enzo snickered. "The last time I took your advice, I ran away from Caroline for three years. It took me basically kidnapping her to get her to forgive me."

"Basically? You did kidnap her," Enzo pointed out and Stefan glared at him.

"I'm sure there's a story there, one I will happily hear at another time," Klaus said amused before glancing at Stefan with an unreadable look on his face. "I assume you and Caroline are together then?"

"We were. I'm not sure she'll even speak to me again," Stefan sighed miserably.

"She will. It's not in Caroline's nature to be vengeful," Klaus said before pausing. "Don't waste it."

"Waste what?" Stefan asked as he looked at Klaus oddly.

"Don't waste one second with Caroline. Not all of us are so lucky," Klaus said a faraway look in his eyes as he thought of Cami.

Willow was still going through her books when Faith walked up beside her.

"Hey, you okay?" Faith inquired as she looked at Willow worriedly.

"Fine. I think I found a way to send our new friends home," Willow said as she closed the book.

"You know what I meant. I know what Giles meant to you," Faith said and Willow was silent for a long moment.

"I can't fall apart when there's work to be done. I'll mourn Giles once we send them all back," Willow said without looking at Faith.

"Hey, look at me," Faith said, gently placing a hand on Willow's face and turning her head towards Faith. "You're not a robot. You have to feel. When I tried to shut down my feelings, I went a little nuts."

"Yeah, I know," Willow pointed out.

"You have to let it all in Red. You're not alone in this, alright," Faith said with surprising tenderness.

Willow smiled weakly, appreciating Faith's attempts at comforting her more than Faith could understand. Despite what she thought of herself, Faith was surprisingly good at the 'girlfriend thing' as she liked to call it. Willow leaned in for a kiss before pulling back slightly, leaning her forehead against Faith's.

"I know. Thank you," Willow whispered.

Across the room, Klaus had seen the scene and watched with a bit of wistfulness and longing. It reminded him of many moments with Cami, moments that had always been too short. Too much had been left unsaid.

Stefan and Enzo noticed Klaus's staring and Enzo remembered what Klaus had said to Buffy at the Empire State Building.

"Lucien, he killed Camille, right?" Enzo asked, breaking Klaus out of his thoughts.

"Yes, yes he did," Klaus said, his voice growing gruff.

"Well he's dead now. So maybe when you go back…she'll be there," Stefan said softly and Klaus was silent for a long moment.

"Perhaps. But it doesn't matter. Once we return, I must find a way to die, to take The Hollow with me so I can protect my daughter and my family from it," Klaus said, his eyes hardening in determination.

Stefan and Enzo exchanged a weary glance but, before the conversation could continue, Buffy and Spike emerged from the basement while Dawn walked down the stairs from above.

"Just checked on Amy, she's still out with whatever you spelled her with," Dawn said as she glanced at Willow. "How long are we going to keep her like that anyway?"

"Not long. I've reached out to a Coven I know makes it a point to rehabilitate witches like Amy. Either they'll set Amy on the right path or they'll make sure she can never hurt anyone ever again," Willow said as she stepped away from Faith.

"Good. She can be someone else's problem then," Spike said in relief.

"Have you figured out a way to get our new friends home?" Buffy asked as she glanced at the Dimension Hoppers.

"Yeah, I have. But first, I have something else to do," Willow said as she picked up a small box off the table. "Klaus, Elijah, could you come over here for a minute?"

The brothers looked at each other bewildered before Elijah shrugged. Klaus and Elijah walked over to Willow as everyone else eyed her wearily.

"I know about The Hollow and I think I have a solution," Willow said, to their surprise. "Brace yourselves."

Before the brothers could ask what she meant, Willow ran a hand over the top of the box and her eyes glowed pure white. The box opened and Klaus and Elijah both gasped, holding their chests as they felt a searing pain.

"What are you doing?!" Klaus demanded even as he and Elijah fell to their knees.

"Putting The Hollow in this box. It's a sort of prison for dark spirits. It'll hold The Hollow and you won't have to worry about it anymore," Willow explained.

Everyone watched in a bit of disbelief as blue energy burst from Klaus and Elijah before heading into the box. Once the last of it was gone, the box closed, glowing bright blue before returning to normal.

"And that's the end of that," Willow said before they all looked at Klaus and Elijah, who were on their knees, breathing deeply.

"Niklaus?" Elijah called out as he turned to his brother.

"It's gone," Klaus said in disbelief. "The Hollow is gone."

"Sorry about kind of springing this on you, but I wasn't sure it would work," Willow apologized as she glanced down at the box.

"You need not apologize. You've saved us, and my niece," Elijah said as he and Klaus pulled themselves to their feet.

"Thank you," Klaus said, unable to shake the emotion from his voice. "Thank you."

"Considering everything you've done to help us clean up Amy's mess, I think we should be thanking you," Willow said before glancing down at the box. "I'll make sure it never gets out, trust me."

"I should hope not," Elijah said with a slight smile.

"So, looks like the only thing left to do is figure out how to get these guys home," Xander noted.

"Oh, I figured out a way to do that already," Willow said to their surprise before holding out her hand. "Hairs."

A hair from the head of each Dimension Hopper was then yanked from their head, flying towards Willow. She held out a hand and they all stood in front of Willow, glowing.

"Uh, Willow? What's with the strange hair dance?" Buffy asked as they all looked confused.

"Their entire bodies carry the signature of their home dimension, right down to the hairs on their head. Not only will this let me send them home, but I can send you all back the moment you were taken," Willow explained to their shock.

"You are a very powerful witch," Elijah noted impressed.

"You have no idea," Faith said as the Scoobies looked at Willow proudly.

"Looks like this is goodbye then," Enzo noted.

"Thank you for all your help. And good luck back home," Buffy said gratefully.

"Well things will go a lot easier now that Stefan's back to himself," Enzo said as he looked over at Stefan.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused while I was here," Stefan apologized and they could all see how ashamed he was.

"Don't worry about it, we know you weren't yourself," Dawn told him.

"Stefan has a guilt complex a thousand miles wide, but maybe he'll listen to you," Klaus said with a laugh at Stefan's expense.

"I know the feeling, but someone said something to me once that I'm gonna say to you now: Even with a soul, I've done things I wish a thousand times I could take back. I used to think there'd be a time when I paid my dues. But our times is never up, we pay for everything," Faith said as Stefan looked over at her. "You can't do good to try and make yourself feel better. You gotta make the people around you feel better. You do the right thing because it's the right thing, not for a good feeling or a reward."

"Wise words. Whoever told you them was wise," Elijah noted and Faith smiled.

"He is," Faith agreed.

"These words will never be enough…but thank you. I am eternally grateful," Klaus said in gratitude.

"It's what we do," Buffy said simply, glancing at Willow.

No more words were spoken as Willow's eyes glowed pure white before she made a gesture with her hand. One by one, the Dimension Hoppers began to vanish.

Kai and Rayna were first, vanishing from the Stasis field. Stefan looked down at his hand, seeing he was beginning to fade away before looking back up at the Scoobies, smiling before he vanished. Enzo waved goodbye to the Scoobies before he vanished as well. Elijah and Klaus merely nodded gratefully to the Scoobies before they vanished and Willow's eyes returned to normal.

For a long moment, the Scoobies stared at the spot where the Dimension Hoppers had vanished.

"You think they'll be alright?" Dawn asked after a moment.

"You know, I think they just might," Buffy said with a smile.

Vampire Diaries Universe

Kai looked around in bewilderment as he reappeared in the barn, sensing something was off. But, as Willow had wiped his memories, he couldn't figure out what. As Kai tried to figure out what had happened, he didn't notice as Damon Salvatore sped behind him and delivered a karate chop to his neck. The blow severed Kai's head from his neck and Kai's head fell, rolling onto the floor before his body followed suit.

Upstate New York

Five years later

"Do you think this is enough?" Bonnie asked as she walked out into the hall.

Enzo didn't respond, simply staring at her, trying to figure out what to say.

"Enzo?" Bonnie called out in concern.

"Sorry, just…a lot's happened. It's gonna be hard to explain it all, right mate?" Enzo asked as he looked over his shoulder to where Stefan stood.

"Yeah, really is," Stefan agreed as Bonnie stared at him in shock.

"Stefan?" Bonnie asked in shock, sensing the change in him.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm back," Stefan said, really feeling it.

New Orleans

Nine Years Later

Klaus and Elijah appeared on the bridge they had vanished from, looking around and spotting the two pieces of the stake they had been holding on the ground.

"We must have dropped them when we were dragged to the other world," Elijah noted as he and Klaus picked them up.

"They would be useless now," Klaus noted before looking up at Elijah. "Unless you still feel you have no future?"

Elijah was silent for a long moment, looking down at the stake before tossing it over the bridge.

"I think that what happened shows us that there is time to make a better future," Elijah said and Klaus grinned.

"My thoughts exactly brother," Klaus said before tossing his own half of the stake over the bridge. "Let's go home."

The Abattoir

Not long after

"Klaus, Elijah," Freya said as she stared in shock as her brothers walked through the door, a sight she had never thought would happen again.

"Freya," Elijah said as he smiled happily.

"I-I don't understand. What are you doing here?" Freya asked in confusion.

"It is a long story Sister. But the short version is that The Hollow is gone," Klaus declared as Freya stared at them in shock.

"You mean…"Freya trailed off, tearing up as her brothers smiled.

"We are here to stay Freya," Elijah confirmed.

"Elijah will fill you in, but tell me where Hope is?" Klaus inquired.

"She's in her room," Freya said and Klaus nodded before making his way up the stairs.

Klaus quickly made his way to his daughter's room, opening it without knocking. Hope was painting a picture of their entire family when she looked over, her eyes widening as she saw him.

"Dad?" Hope breathed.

"Hope," Klaus said as she smiled slightly.

"What…how…" Hope was at a loss for words.

"It is a long story my Littlest Wolf, but in summary, The Hollow is gone. And I will never leave you again," Klaus declared as he made his way over to his daughter.

Hope's eyes filled with tears as she grabbed her father in a tight hug, clinging to him. Klaus wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her hair, reveling in being able to hold his daughter again. As he looked over her shoulder, he froze as he saw her painting.

She had painted their entire family; he could see she had even put Hayley in the picture. But she was not the only addition. Camille was in the painting, looking as beautiful as the day she had died.

Klaus barely had a moment to process this before he heard a gasp behind him, a gasp that was all too familiar to him. Shocked, Klaus released Hope and turned around, seeing Cami staring at him in shock.

"Klaus?" Cami breathed.

"Camille," Klaus said in a matching tone.

Hope wiped her eyes as she let Klaus go as he continued staring at Cami in disbelief. Almost of their own volition, Klaus's legs carried him over to Cami.

"Camille," Klaus repeated as he reached out, placing a hand on the side of her face to reassure himself she was really there.

"Klaus how are you still here?" Cami breathed.

"That is…complicated," Klaus said lowly, not taking his eyes off her.

"The Hollow's gone Cami," Hope said and Cami's face was a mix of joy and shock.

"That's great, but how? And why are you looking at me like that?" Cami asked as she noticed Klaus was acting like she was the one who had almost died.

"Once more, it is complicated," Klaus said with a smile, realizing Stefan had been right and Cami was spaced. "I will tell you both tomorrow. For now…I just want to be with you both."

Mystic Falls

Same time

At the Salvatore Boarding School, Stefan pulled out a post card, smiling at the picture of Bonnie and Enzo with their kids.

It had been nine years since he and Enzo had returned from the other dimension, and it came with many changes.

It had taken the others some convincing for them to buy Enzo and Stefan's story, but there had simply been no other explanation as to how Stefan's humanity had come back on so quickly.

With Stefan back with them, they had gone through with their plan of curing Cade, stripping him of his powers. Enzo had then drank from him until he died, becoming human.

But this had not solved their problems. Katherine had escaped Hell with Cade, and with his death, had taken over Hell. Stefan and Caroline had thrown together a shotgun wedding in order to draw her out only for Katherine to make her move during the reception, using Vicki to try and destroy Mystic Falls with the Bell. But Bonnie had used her magic to repel it through the tunnels under Mystic Falls.

But someone needed to use the knife to keep Katherine in Hell when it happened. Stefan had fought Damon over it, realizing Damon was planning on sacrificing himself. But Damon had snapped his neck and restrained him. Stefan had come to just in time to watch his brother sacrifice himself for Mystic Falls and everyone they loved.

Losing his brother had nearly broken him, and he wasn't even sure how he was going to break the news to Elena one day when she woke up. But Bonnie, who had known his brother perhaps better than anyone else, had told him more than once that no one could stop Damon from doing something he didn't want to do. Stefan could only go on, live his life to the fullest so Damon hadn't saved him for nothing.

"Hey, Bonnie and Enzo's newest post card?" Caroline asked as she walked into their room.

"Yeah, the kids are getting so big," Stefan said as he handed it to her.

"We should really go visit them sometime," Caroline noted as she looked at the card.

Stefan looked at his wife for a moment before smiling. While he still missed Damon every day, he wouldn't trade this life for anything.

Buffyverse Universe

A week after sending the Dimension Hoppers home

At night, Buffy was in a cemetery, staring down at Giles's grave.

She had been patrolling but somehow found her way here. It had happened a lot since Giles's funeral.

"Buffy," Buffy looked up to see Spike standing a few feet away.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Buffy said in surprise as she lowered her stake, which she had instinctively raised at the sound of Spike's voice.

"Was patrolling the area when I saw you. You seemed lost in your head, figured I'd make sure you didn't get caught by surprised. Should have known better," Spike said before glancing at Giles's grave. "It's okay to miss him."

"Are you really comforting me over a man you hated?" Buffy asked, almost laughing at the thought of it.

"I'm not the monster I was," Spike said almost defensively.

"I know," Buffy said, realizing she'd unintentionally offended. "Just not something I'd have imagined a few years ago."

"A lot's changed since then," Spike noted as he walked over. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know. I just…I miss him. And I don't know where to go from here," Buffy admitted.

"You'll miss him for a long time. Even as a soulless, evil demon, I still missed my Mum. And I still do now. You never really let go of missing your parents," Spike paused. "Want to patrol together?"

"Yeah. Yeah sure," Buffy shrugged.

He nodded and they began moving through the dark together, side by side. Things were still a little awkward between them. Her confession before Sunnydale caved in hung between them but Buffy wasn't ready to address it, she was too raw after losing Giles right now. Spike seemed to understand this, as he hadn't brought it up. But at times, Buffy almost found herself holding his hand. But she couldn't bring herself to take that leap, not yet.

For now, this was enough, Buffy thought as they moved through the graveyard. Knowing Spike loved her and that she loved him was enough.

And that's the end.

Honestly, Damon dying to save Mystic Falls would have worked so much better than Stefan. It would have at least given some semblance of Damon redeeming himself (he's flip-flopped and done too many horrible things even while supposedly good to ever be completely redeemed tbh), which would have fit his season eight arc as well. Instead, we got Stefan once again sacrificing himself for Damon even though Damon honestly does not deserve it because Julie Plec once again pandered to the Damon/Delena fangirls.

Klaus/Cami is my favorite TVDverse ship, so I brought Cami back.

Until next time everyone.