This chapter really took longer for me to write then I thought, but it is finally done. There are only two chapters left, can you believe it? I really never thought I would finish this story, but it's almost over, and I just want to thank again everyone who has reviewed this story. It means so much, and it makes me update way faster. I hope you all enjoy.

Damon's POV

Hours have passed since Elena left to have her little come to Jesus moment with her past self, and I am sort of freaking out. No, those are not the right words. I am 170 years old, a man, and a vampire. I do not freak out like some pathetic teenage girl waiting for a call or text. After the 47th time that I've checked my phone, I realize I might have been mistaken, and am in fact a pathetic teenage girl. I take another large gulp of my alcohol to distract myself, but nothing helps quiet the rampant thoughts running through my head.

When I have exhausted the majority of my liquor supply and flipped through a number of my favorite books, I abandon all hopes of a pleasant distraction. Luckily, I hear the sound of our mailman in the distance. Walking very slowly to the mailbox and back should take up at least two, three minutes of my time.

I shuffle through the typical junk mail, throwing it over my shoulder, until I come to a letter without an address, only my name written clearly on the front. Recognizing the handwriting immediately, I rip it open, dreading what its contents might hold.

Dear Damon,

By the time that you read this, I likely will already be gone. If all goes well, Klaus will be dead, and I'll be halfway out of town, in the company of a true and loyal friend, before you ever think to miss me. But seeing as how this is Mystic Falls, I need to accept that things might not go so well.

Right now I'm heading towards the clearing by the falls to meet Klaus and to kill him once and for all. Before you start cursing me for my stupidity, please try and understand. I couldn't tell you. If I had, you would have followed me there and put your life at risk to protect mine. I already watched you die once. I won't let history repeat itself.

I'm writing a new ending to this story, a new ending for you and for Elena and for all the other people in my life who have been plagued by the supernatural for too long. This all began with me, and it needs to end that way.

I'm not naïve enough to believe that anything I say will ever convince you that facing Klaus on my own is a good idea, but you of all people should understand. If it were up to you, I'm sure you wouldn't have even let me out of the house. You would have put your foot down, dug your heels in, and you would have completely disregarded what I wanted to keep me safe. I know all this, because in your shoes I would do the exact same thing.

It's who we are. Respecting choices is for other people, but not you and me. We're protectors, warriors. We save the people that we love without hesitation or thought of consequences. It's what I did when I asked you to compel Jeremy, and it's what you do whenever you feel my life is in danger. The entire time that we've known each other, you've never failed to protect me. It's time I finally protected you.

If you're mad at me, if you think that I'm a coward for putting this all in a letter, I don't blame you. My only excuse is that I've had too many heart wrenching goodbyes over the past couple of days, and I don't know how to say goodbye to you, I won't. I refuse.

While I can't close the book on us completely, I can't stay here anymore either. You were right the other night when you said that I didn't belong here. This isn't my home anymore, so I need to find a new place to belong, a new home.

But before I leave, I need you to know that I loved you more than I ever thought possible. You taught me what it meant to trust in love again, to trust that I was good enough to fight for. After Stefan, I couldn't help feeling like I wasn't enough. Like if I were better, maybe Stefan would have fought for me or chosen me, above his need for revenge or his avoidance of his guilt. Every single day, you proved that you would always choose me, above all others, in all circumstances, you chose me. I'm just sorry that it took so long for me to finally choose you. I promise you from this day forward until the day I die, no matter how far I go, my heart will always be here with you. It will always be yours. All my heart, forever and always.

Love,

Elena

My heart beats strongly in my chest as I read about Elena's undying devotion, but it only takes a second for me to jump into protective mode. We all have our roles to play. Elena's job is to be annoyingly self-sacrificing, and it is my job to save her from her stupid decisions. It's like our thing. With that in mind, I take off towards the clearing by the falls. My vampire speed gets me there quickly, only a few minutes, much faster than traveling by car. I stop a few feet from where the action is taking place. It takes me a second to assess the situation and identify all the key players, and once I do my heart drops to my stomach. Some man, who I assume is Klaus, is shrieking in pain on the ground, and lying a few feet away is Elena, my sweet Elena, with a stick jammed in her side, and her past self standing helplessly beside her. I call out to her, not even knowing what this will achieve.

Before either Elena can sense my presence, I am standing in front of them biting into my wrist and shoving it in Future Elena's face, begging her to drink, to live. She makes no moves to swallow, in fact she doesn't move at all. She's still and lifeless. Current Elena is sobbing behind me, and she places her hand on my back saying how sorry she is. I gently shrug it off, because she can't comfort me. If she does, it means Elena is truly gone, and I can't accept that. I pull out the stick that is maiming her otherwise perfect body, and I hold her in my arms, tears cascading down my face, pleading with her. "Please wake up," I beg. My eyes never leave hers, because looking away would mean giving up on her, and I'm not prepared to do that just yet. I keep whispering to her, even though I know she can't hear me any longer. "I was supposed to protect you. I was supposed to save you. It isn't supposed to end like this. We're supposed to be survivors."

One really loud yelp breaks through my grief and for the first time since I arrived, I divert my attention back to Klaus. The man standing behind him chanting is clearly a witch, and simple deduction tells me he is responsible for causing the ancient vampire so much pain, and for that I am grateful. Without needing any explanations, I can piece together parts of what happened tonight. All that I need to know is that Klaus killed Elena. He took her away forever, and now I want my pound of flesh. I want my vengeance, so with a fiery fury, I reach into his chest and pull out his heart myself. He turns gray with veins appearing all over his body, and then he bursts into flames. The spell must have weakened him considerably, because even in my anguish addled brain, I know this shouldn't have worked. Killing an original shouldn't have been this easy, but the spell must have been in its final stages, and my thought is confirmed when I see the mysterious witch drop dead to his feet.

Klaus is finally dead, and it doesn't matter. I feel nothing but pain, and it only gets worse when I hear Current Elena gasp behind me. I rush to her side, looking everywhere for possible injuries. When I see none, I stare at her puzzled as she points to the ground below her. All I see is empty space; Future Elena's body is gone. "She just faded away," Elena mumbles incoherently under her breath.

There's nothing left, not even a body to bury. I drop to my knees and break down. There is no point in denying it any longer. Future Elena is dead and gone, and nothing will ever bring her back. This time when Current Elena wraps her arms around me, I accept the gesture, because it is the only thing reminding me that Elena isn't entirely lost to me. I didn't lose them both, so I weep for what was lost today, and for what was saved. We're both crying hopelessly, and I can't tell anymore if she is comforting me, or if I am comforting her, but at the moment, neither of us have the strength to care.

Only a few moments pass, when another mysterious stranger in a suit finds us in the field. His expression is one of true horror and sorrow. He knows the suffering that happened here today, just by staring at our faces. "You're Elijah," I guess correctly. My voice sounds hollow, and empty, just like I feel. He nods his head, confirming my suspicions. In a flash, I'm grabbing him by the throat trying to squeeze as hard as I can. "You were supposed to protect her. Where the Hell were you as she lay here dying?" Elijah doesn't try to shove me off or fight back. He doesn't even act as if my attempts are hurting him, which they might not be, given how old he is.

I only release my grip when I hear him speak, because he sounds just as lost as I do. "I never thought she was in any real danger," Elijah states guiltily, not even looking me in the eyes. "If I had, I never would have left her alone," he swears regretfully. "She was an extraordinary young woman," he states, far off in his mind. "She was one of the best that I've met in my long life, and I'm sorry that she's gone. Nothing can ever undo my mistake in leaving her, but I hope you will let me try to do better with the Elena that's still here."

My rage and fury bubbles over and I grip his suit in a threatening gesture, which he seems to mostly ignore. "Why in the Hell should I trust you when you already failed her once?"

Elijah stares back sympathetically, and I can feel his pity emanating off him in waves. A calm, but sorrowful demeanor replaces his look of shock and horror that has been in place since he arrived. "You should trust me, because I want to keep her safe, and so do you. I will keep every supernatural creature away from this town for the rest of her lifetime. You have my word," Elijah promises genuinely.

I could never truly forgive someone who failed Elena so spectacularly, but I won't turn down a chance to keep her safe from further harm. "You want to assuage your guilt, fine," I reply with a tone of bitterness and loathing. "Just know that if anything happens to her, even if it's not your fault, I will hold you personally responsible. I will hunt you down and kill you myself," I swear menacingly.

"I expect nothing less," Elijah remarks, mildly impressed by my boldness. He takes his leave, but not before retrieving the remains of his witch.

Klaus' body was dust and Elena and I were all alone again, but not for long. In the clearing, I see my brother standing at a distance, hesitant to step forward. I have no idea what he is doing here, or where everyone else is, but neither of us appears to be in a sharing mood. After a moment of consideration, he walks towards me with an unreadable expression. He takes in my appearance, the tear stains on my face and the blood on my shirt. We don't need words to tell each other what happened. To my surprise, he actually looks sorry. Despite his feigned indifference about Future Elena's fate, he truly cared that she was gone. Stefan mourned her like I did. He felt guilty like I did, maybe even more so, since it was his foolish choices that started all of this.

After all the fights and the bad feelings over the past week, I don't know what to expect from him anymore, and that's why he shocks me to my core when he embraces me in a crushing hug. "I'm so, deeply sorry," he whispers, with tears threatening to fall down his face. We stand there locked together for just a moment, not out of guilt, or obligation, but just because we're brothers, and we need to act like it, even if just for a second. It's what she would have wanted.

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