Hey guys! I hope you all had a great weekend and that you have an amazing monday, I want to take you all for still reading this, you have no idea how happy it makes me to read your reviews. Sadly after this chapter there will only be two more to the story, I feel a bit sad because it's ending but also very happy because the response you show to it and also because I'm already working on a new project that I hope you like as well. As always I want to take a chance to thank Lorena because I wouldn't be able to post this without here help.

Well, enough with my rambling. I really hope you enjoy the chapter.

Love,

Sam

"The center will hold."

"How do you know?"

"Because we are the center."

-Richelle Mead-

.

Elena rested her head on Jeremy's shoulder as they watched Margaret run around with her best friend April after her, the image reminded her of the two little girls she had left back in New York. The sun was setting down and her parents were on the grill finishing the burgers they were going to eat for dinner.

Elena had felt the instant relief in her chest when her mother's arms circled around her and when she was able to see the smile on her sibling's face, she was with her family in her favorite place in the whole world, and if she couldn't heal here she wouldn't do it anywhere else.

Stefan had left her a voicemail yesterday where he told her that Katherine had passed away. She couldn't even imagine what Damon must have been feeling and she assumed that was the reason he had kept away from her the last few days, no calls, no texts. Elena felt awful about Katherine's death but a part of her, the most insidious part of her felt relieved. How bad of a person must she be to feel that way?

"Are you finally going to tell me what's been bothering you?" Jeremy asked in a quiet voice, bringing her back from her dark thoughts.

"Why would you think something's been bothering me?" She asked as she raised her head from his shoulder and stared at him. Jeremy had turned eighteen in the summer and it amazed Elena to realize how much her brother had truly grown, sometimes she still thought of him as the little boy she used to take care of.

"I'm your brother and I know you Lena" He said with a half-smile "Besides, even though I know you love us you wouldn't had dropped everything and rushed here without a reason"

"Isn't it possible that I just really really missed you guys?" She said smiling while gripping Jeremy's shoulder lovingly.

"No" He mocked her and placed a kiss on her forehead "it's okay if you don't want to talk now but I'm here if you need me" He told her lovingly

"When did you grow up so much Jer?" Elena asked with a hint of nostalgia in her voice

"When you weren't looking" He answered with a smile and bumped his forehead with hers "Now if that guy is your happiness you should try and fix things with him"

"What?" Elena asked while looking at him in disbelief "Why do you think this is about a guy?"

"You have that look mom gets every time she fights with dad" He said shrugging "You two are so alike that I'm guessing even heartbroken you look the same"

Elena laughed slightly while looking at her little brother "You are unbelievable"

"I know, I'm one of a kind" He answered. They turned their heads to their parent's direction when Ric shouted Jeremy's name. "I knew he couldn't finish the burgers without needing my help" He said and Elena laughed alongside him

"You better go before he burns the whole place down" Elena said with a smile before Jeremy got up.

"Oh and Anna's coming tomorrow" Jeremy said "You're really going to love her"

"I know I will" Elena nodded and watched with a smile as her brother walked away.

She took a deep breath and reached for the glass of wine resting on a table next to her. Her thoughts drifting back to Briar and Violet back in New York, how were they? She hadn't spoken with them since she came here and she truly missed them, she missed Damon too.

Was Caroline right? Was this a big mistake? Elena understood where Damon was coming from, he wanted to protect his children and after all that Katherine had put him through he had his reasons for being guarded around other people but she couldn't let go of those negative thoughts inside her that told her that she would never be as important to him as Katherine had been.

Elena's eyes danced towards where her mother and Ric were laughing as they prepared the food. Ric hadn't been her mother's first love but he had been the most important. Despite everything, Isobel didn't love John the way she loves Alaric and Elena longed for that kind of love.

She wanted to be the first option for someone, she wanted that epic love you read about and watched in movies. But maybe she was being stupid, was it truly important that Damon loved another woman before her? She loved him deeply and in her heart she knew that she would never love another man the way she loved him.

"Jeremy said you're having boy trouble" Elena had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Ric was standing next to her until he spoke.

"Of course he did" Elena looked up and smiled at her step-father

"Truth be told you look pretty depressed sitting here all by yourself" Ric took a seat next to her "What is it Lena?"

Elena smiled at the affection in Ric words, sometimes it seemed crazy to her to think that this man who didn't have her blood running through his veins could care about her more than her own father. "Do you think it's possible to have more than one epic love?"

Ric's eyebrows rose as he stared at her "Well I think every love is different and unique in its own way"

"That's what I thought" Elena murmured absently

"I think you shouldn't let the past bother you, darling, we all have one. People aren't a part of your imagination, they don't start living when you meet them" He put an arm around her and forced her to lean into him

"But what if he can never love me the way he loved her?"

"Does he love you now?" He asked.

She thought about him, about all the things he told her and about how she could feel his love when he kissed her, how his hands were soft when he caressed her and the way he smiled when she walked through the door. Yes, he loved her.

"Yes, he does"

"Do you love him?"

"More than life itself"

"Then screw everything else" He told her "If it's not meant to be you'll realize it along the way but don't let the fear of getting hurt stop you from living this love"

"But what if-"

"Elena, sweetheart, you don't want to wake up one day twenty years from now and realize you let your happiness escape you"

"When did everyone become so wise?" She said and they both laughed at her words "I don't visit for one summer and suddenly everyone is super smart? What's next, is Maggie going to give me relationship advice too?"

"Maybe, don't underestimate her"

Elena laughed slightly "Thank you, Ric, you always know how to make me feel better"

"You know I love you right?" He looked down at her "In my eyes you are my daughter, Elena, and I'll always be here for you" She nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. She understood pretty well the sentiment now, it was the way she felt about Damon's girls.

"Hey, you two! Come on, we're doing all the work here" Jeremy shouted from the table and Alaric and Elena looked at each other and burst into laughter

"We better go if we want to eat" Ric told her.

They got up and started walking towards Jeremy, Elena intercepted Margaret on the way and took her in her arms while April trailed behind them. She knew Ric and Jeremy were right, Damon made her happy and she needed to find a way to make it better but right now she didn't want to be anywhere but here surrounded by the people she loved the most.

They were her home and here she would learn to be whole again.

"Are you going to tell her that we really miss her?" Briar's voice resounded from the Bluetooth device in the car and Damon smiled sadly at her words.

"Yes baby girl, I'll make sure she knows how much you miss her" He answered as he veered the car into the direction Caroline's, surprisingly well done, map indicated.

"Tell her won't eat ice cream until she comes back" Violet said and Damon smiled "And that I love her more than Briar does"

"No you don't. I love her more"

"Well she loves me more"

"No she doesn't"

"Yes because she brushes my hair all the time"

"Girls stop…" Damon said with amusement at hearing the girls fighting over Elena's attention.

"She brushes mine too"

"But she didn't paint you a unicorn"

"She would have if I asked her"

"The truth is that Elena loves me more, so that closes the case" Stefan's voice said and Damon couldn't help the chuckle that left his body at the sound of his brother's voice.

"Uncle Stefan that is not true" Violet said between giggles "She loves daddy more"

Damon sucked in a breath and wished for a minute that he had the same innocence of his girls, to be that oblivious about all the wrongs of the world around them.

"How about we settle with the fact that Elena loves all of us the same" Damon said in a calm voice but with a half-smile still playing on his face

"You're no fun" Stefan answered and Damon could totally picture him pouting. Sometimes he wondered who mas more childish, him or his daughters.

Damon took the turn that lead to Elena's parent's house, after driving a few minutes through the woods while listening to Stefan and the girls' rambles through the phone, the house appeared in his sight. It was bigger than he had imagined and looked rather cozy, with a beautiful view to the amazing lake stretching in front.

"I gotta go now, guys, I finally arrived"

"Tell Elena I want her to get better" Briar said in a small voice "That I'm sorry she is sick"

"And tell her snuggles will make her feel kay, he always help me when I get sick" Violet said and Damon smiled while looking at the lone stuffed bear that had travelled as his copilot the whole way.

"I will Violet, I'm sure she'll love it" He said before taking the bear and holding it against his chest

"Now brother, for once please go and get the girl" Stefan told him before disconnecting the call.

Damon stayed in the car for a few minutes, breathing in and out while trying to rehearse what he was going to say, but failing miserably. He had forgotten every word, he knew he should have wrote it all down. He didn't even know if she would agree to speak with him, he hoped she would because he couldn't go another day more without hearing her voice.

With one more deep breath he exited the car and started marching towards the house.

He could hear the sound of laughter with every step he took and his stomach clenched with fear. What if this was a mistake? What if what Elena truly needed was some time away from him and he was denying her of that time, she came here to escape him and to be with her family and he was pushing her too hard.

He shook his head and continued walking, he needed to see her. He needed some reassurance that she still loved him, then he could give her all the time she needed.

He blew some air and knocked on the door, the seconds that it took to be opened were definitely one of the longest of his life. "Can I help you?" A boy around eighteen years with soft brown hair opened the door, he guessed he was Jeremy, Elena's brother.

"Sorry to bother, I'm Damon and I'm here to see Elena"

"Oh, so you're him" Jeremy said narrowing his eyes. Damon frowned, wondering briefly if Elena had told her family the extent of their relationship "Just let me get a couple of things straight, I'll let you come inside and talk to her because she is so damn miserable right now" Damon's throat clogged at his words, the last thing he wanted was for her to be miserable "Now I don't know what the hell happened between you two but if you do something to hurt my sister even more I will hunt you down. It doesn't matter that I'm still pretty much a kid, I work out" He finished and gave him what Damon assumed was a very dangerous glance

"I promise you, I only want to fix things"

"Fine" Jeremy muttered and opened the door wide so Damon could step inside.

The place was painted in soft beige colors and all the furniture was made of wood, there was a lovely smell of food in the air and the wind coming through the windows was chilly. It was a very cozy place and he understood why Elena loved it so much.

"Lena, your 'I only came to visit you because I miss you' is here" Jeremy shouted in the direction of the back glass door, Damon could see the lake extended far away on the other side of the door.

"My what? What are you-"Elena came through the door and stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted him. His hands were inside his pockets and he was balancing his weight from the back of his feet to the front.

"I'll leave you two to it, and I'll make sure mom doesn't come to snoop and Ric doesn't go for his shot gun" Jeremy said with a warning glance in Damon's direction and then exited through the back door, Elena's only response was a soft thank you.

"How did you? - No wait, I know. Caroline" She said with a half-smile on her face. Damon felt hope bloom in his chest, she wasn't kicking him out, that was a good sign. "Why are you here Damon?"

"I wanted to see you, and also" He extended his hand and handed her the teddy bear he brought from home "Violet says that this always makes her feel better"

Elena's pained eyes met his and he could see tears were already gathering there, she extended her hand and took the bear he was holding "Thank you" She clutched it against her chest "I feel so bad, I don't want them to suffer because of this"

"Then come back home" He pleaded

"Damon-"

"We can work it out, Elena, I know we can" He moved closer towards her and even though she raised an arm to stop him he didn't "I need you to forgive me Elena" He cupped her face between his hands "I know I fucked up but I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it"

"Damon please" She pleaded as her eyes closed "I forgive you, I know why you did what you did but I still can't-"

"Yes you can" He rested his forehead against her, being here with her, breathing in her scent was everything he could ask for. His memory hadn't paid her justice, she was even more breathtaking up close "I know you think what I had with Katherine will somehow diminish what we have, that you think I can't love you the way I did her"

"What?" Elena asked, her eyes suddenly opening and understanding appearing there when she realized her friend had spilled the beans, he hoped he wasn't getting the blonde in trouble

"But it was never a competition, Elena, I never felt for Katherine what I feel for you" She started shaking her head but he steadied her with his hands on her face "I loved her, yes I did. I was infatuated with her and after she gave me the girls, how could I not love her?"

"Damon I don't want to hear this" She said trying to free herself from his grasp

"But you will. Elena, I loved Katherine because she gave me my daughters. I love you because you are you. Because you have the biggest heart of everyone I know, and because you love to eat ice cream in the middle of the night, and because you cried at the phantom of the opera and you love my children as if they were your own"

"Damon, stop it" Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she kept trying to free herself

"And I love you because you look beautiful in the mornings and laugh at Stefan's silly jokes. I love you because you twitch your nose when you're telling a lie and your eyes sparkle when you see chocolate." Elena was full on sobbing now so he held her as she fisted her hands in his shirt and buried her face in his neck "I love you more than I'll ever love anyone, like I never loved anyone before you and if you give me the chance I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you. And if you decide you don't want to be with me anymore I'll leave and never look for you again… but I'll never be whole again because you have the biggest part of my heart with you. And it will always belong to you"

"I love you" Elena sobbed against his neck "I love you so damn much it scares me Damon, I don't want to feel this way ever again…like the world was crumbling down around me"

"You won't" He moved her so he could stare into her tear streaked face "I can't promise you we'll never fight because I know there's going to be a lot of that but I promise you I can protect you, that I'll always keep your heart safe."

She nodded as he cleaned the tears under her eyes "I love you, Damon, but I don't want to go back" Her words sliced through his heart and the ground shook underneath him

"Elena-"

"No wait, I need some time to think Damon, to be with myself and try to sort things out but I promise you that I'll return"

"You will?"

"I would never do that to the girls" She answered and he didn't miss the fact that she spoke about his daughters but not about him.

Damon nodded and took her into his arms once again, she didn't fight him. She let herself me embraced by him and breathed him in as she rested her head against his shoulder "I'll give you all the time you need, Elena, I'll wait forever. Perche Io ti amo tesoro mio"

"Ugh Damon" Elena whined against his shoulder "You know how much I love it when you talk in Italian"

His lips curved into a smirk "I know" He answered before breaking apart from her and placing the softest of kisses on her lips "I'll leave you then" He murmured before starting to walk away.

Elena wanted to tell him to stay or to take her back with him but she kept her lips sealed as she watched him walk through the door. She wasn't lying when she told him she needed time and being here with her family was everything she needed.

Review?