Hi! :) I'm terribly sorry that it took me so long to update this. My heart broke after 4x06, and it was hard to find the motivation to write... Anyhow, here it is...fair warning - Elena is kinda erratic in this chapter.

Elena

There is this immense darkness that tries to pull me into itself. I resist with all my force, but every attempt is so ridiculously weak that I want to laugh at myself. For an instance I feel the darkness giving up, being replaced by this familiar warmness that I can't place. I gather the last ounce of strength I have to pull myself away from the looming shadows that tempt me, it would be so much easier to give in. I feel the fingers of the shadows grasping me, and I try to run away from them, and for a moment I succeed. I suddenly see a bright light and these beautiful green eyes looking worriedly at me. At first I can't place them, but then I remember.

"Stefan?" I call out weakly, but then I feel something cold and dark pulling me away from his mesmerising eyes. I try to resist, but I'm too weak and I let the darkness surround me.

When I open my eyes I find myself in an unfamiliar place. It's full of light and warmth, something I've been craving for a long time. There's a thick forest around me with only one single winding road leading away, but all I can see is darkness at the end of the road.

I realize that I am in a meadow, it is full of beautiful flowers - purple, yellow, blue - my favourite colours. I can't see any other paths leading away from here though, the dark one is the only one. The sky is clear and I can hear birds chirping from the tops of the trees, they sing songs I've never heard before and it's angelic. I go closer to the trail and as I go closer and closer to it, I can hear these alluring sounds, tempting me to go down that road and never return. I'm about to make the first step down the road when a man's voice rings behind me.

"Elena, don't."

The voice breaks off the haze that the sounds coming from far away induced. I turn my back to it and see a man standing behind me. He is bathed in sunlight, making it impossible for me to recognize him, although I know I've heard that voice somewhere before. I put my hand over my forehead to cover my eyes from the sunlight.

"Who are you? Your voice is so familiar. And do you know where I am?"

"You were in an accident, Elena."

That news serves as a punch to my stomach as a picture of the animal that jumped in front of my car comes back to my mind, after that I can only remember these green eyes and then it's all black.

"What are you saying? Am I dead?" I cry out, feeling hopeless. "What is this place, I can't be dead!" I feel tears streaming down my face as I fall onto my knees.

The man starts to move towards me and when I finally see his face it's like I've been struck by lightning.

"Stefan?" I breathe, my mouth gaping open.

"This is impossible, where are we? Why are you here?"

He kneels down beside me and looks straight into my eyes.

"You're not dead Elena. Not yet."

"Not yet, what's that supposed to mean?" my voice is shaky, I still can't believe all that is happening right now. I watch how his eyes sparkle when the sun hits them and then it all comes back.

"You were there, you pulled me from the car," my mind starts to work frantically.

There's a trace of sadness in his face as he looks straight into my eyes.

"Elena, I am so sorry."

I start to panic and my breathing is getting more ragged. "What are you sorry for? Please, give me some answers before I go crazy!"

I watch how his face plays out a mixture of emotions. "As I said earlier, you were in an accident," he looks at my reaction, probably afraid that I'll go into a mental breakdown but when he sees that I'm willing to listen, he continues.

"Yes, I pulled you out of the car, but your heart stopped the second I got you out of the vehicle."

"I am dead, then," I feel silent tears streaming down my cheeks as I take a deep breath to calm myself.

Stefan's face is stern – "I said before that you're not dead, Elena. Please just listen."

I nod, afraid that if I open my mouth, I'll start screaming and his face softens in an instant.

"I was able to revive you, although you didn't come back to consciousness and your pulse was very weak. I hurried to the hospital and they took you immediately to the operation room. The doctors said that you had a massive internal bleeding at it was a miracle that when you got to the hospital you were still alive and it was an even bigger miracle that they were able to stop it."

My mouth drops open as I hear the words coming out of his mouth, not fully comprehending what he is saying.

"But..." he starts.

"But what, Stefan? What happened then? Why am I here then if they were able to save me?" I almost lose it but he looks at me straight in the eye and I start to calm down again.

"You fell into a coma."

I can hear the blood pumping through my veins, I can hear the birds, the wind silently blowing, I can hear everything but his words. It all is too much to handle right now. I avert my gaze from him, afraid I'll break completely down.

"Elena, do you understand me?"

"What is there to understand?" I laugh nervously. "I'm in a coma, I get it, probably be dead in some time."

I stand up and start pacing around the meadow, behind me I hear Stefan standing up and following me.

"What is this place?" I yell and my voice echoes back, ominously. Suddenly I feel Stefan's hand on my shoulder and I turn to face him.

"Tell me, please I need to know, if I'm not dead, then why am I here?"

Stefan hesitates and drops his gaze to the ground.

"I don't know how to explain this to you, but I'll give it my best, alright? But you have to promise to listen," he pleads.

I nod and decide to sit down again.

Stefan

Elena is confused and scared, and for a good reason. The place she's in may seem like a safe enough spot for the time being, but the longer she stays here, the chances of her getting away from here become smaller and smaller.

"You've been in a coma for a month now," I start, carefully examining her face for any kind of alarms. Her face stays calm but I see her hands balling into fists, a habit she has when she's stressed.

"I've been trying to get in contact with you for a while now, but you've been unresponsive, until today. This place, it's hard to explain. This place is moulded by you. By your dreams and what you imagine peace will be like. You are the one who created this, you do feel peaceful and good here, don't you?"

Elena's voice is a bare whisper – "Yes."

"Every person has this kind of place," I continue, "But it's always different. It could be anything from in the middle of the ocean to the top of a skyscraper. This place is where people end up right before they die."

I watch intently Elena's reaction, for a second she doesn't seem to understand my words, but then her face adapts more of a defeated expression.

"I am going to die, aren't I?" Fresh tears start falling from her eyes and she tries to wipe them away.

"Not if I can help it. You see that road over there?" I point to the dark path leading away from here.

"Yes."

"You can't go there, no matter how tempting that road is. Under no circumstances, understand? I know that it is hard to resist, but if you listen to me, I might be able to get you out of here."

She looks at the path for a long time, probably thinking that what I am saying is crazy. Then her eyes find mine again.

"If I go there, I won't come back?"

"Yes."

"What makes you so sure that you can bring me back?"

I am unsure what to tell her, if I tell her the whole truth, she'll probably think I'm a lunatic. Although, this whole situation is crazy, still I don't know if telling her everything will be the safest thing.

"Let's just say that I'm here to help you."

"Oh, that's very helpful," she suddenly snaps and stands on her feet. "You were there that time in the street too, to help me. That's very convenient, isn't it? Tell me, Stefan, how the hell can you be here when this is place is apparently only my imagination."

I'm confused by her sudden change of mood and I can feel her anger rising, she has forgotten all that I said to her earlier and now she's concentrating on pointing all her frustration on me.

"Elena, it doesn't matter who I am,"

"How does it not matter?" she practically yells. "Don't play with me, Stefan, you suddenly appear here, tell me not to go down that road, then speak about this place being made by me and that I will probably die soon. What am I to make of all of this? Just take your word and trust you? I can't do that."

Angry tears are falling violently from her eyes as she screams at me. And every word that comes from her mouth is like a sharp knife is pulled across my body, cutting deeper and deeper.

"Elena, I..." – I take a step closer to her, but she takes a step away from me.

"Don't come any closer," she warns.

"Listen to me please," I raise my voice.

"Why should I?" she retorts.

"Because I am here to protect you, how can you not understand that? I only want to help you. Tell me, Elena, how many times have you been close to some kind of an accident, which could've end badly? Many times, huh?" I feel myself getting more and more exasperated. I know I shouldn't tell her this, but I can't stop the words coming from my mouth.

She falters, but then regains her composure. "I told you that the night you saved me."

"Oh, but what about the day of your car accident that brought you here? That day you tripped on the stairs and almost fell down."

Elena's mouth starts to form an objection, but then it hits her.

"What? How can you know about that?"

"I was there," I say, my voice back to its normal volume. "I stopped you from getting hurt."

"But..but that's not possible, you weren't there." Her voice is full of confusion.

"You see, I was there." I decide that it's better to tell her everything. "I've been there every time something bad has happened to you. That time you almost fell off a roof, when your parents' car drove off the bridge."

Elena covers her mouth with her hand and turns her back to me. "This is not happening," I hear her mutter.

"Elena, I need you to listen carefully, because what I am about to tell you is going to sound crazy."

She doesn't say anything and keeps her back to me.

"You know these stories about people saying that they had a guardian angel watching over them after an accident that should have killed them?" I say, unsure how to approach this.

She doesn't respond.

"Well, they were right. You see, I am one of them, an angel."

There's grave silence, it seems like time has stopped. Only thing I can hear is her breathing. She still doesn't still respond.

"You are the one I am assigned to protect. That is why you are still alive against all odds." My own voice is only a whisper.

After what seemed to be hours she finally turns to look at me. Her face is completely blank, devoid of any emotion. She doesn't say anything, only walks past me, toward the dark road.

"Elena..." I try to take her hand, but she yanks it away.

She doesn't believe me. She thinks that this is a bad dream and the only way out of it is going down that path. I watch her going determinedly in the direction of her death.

I have to do something, now, or she'll be gone forever.

"Elena, don't do this!" I yell, but she is unresponsive. She's almost at the beginning of the road and I have no choice but to appear right before her. She takes a sharp step back as she sees me and I can see that she's scared.

"Don't be afraid," I warn. But she doesn't listen and starts to back away from me.

"Just listen, Elena! I'm begging you!" I shout and she stops suddenly and looks straight into my eyes.

"What am I supposed to say? This is all just a nightmare, right? Because everything you've said is like straight from a movie!"

Elena starts to walk away from me, again. I can hear her muttering to herself, going over and over again – "This is just a dream, I'm not going crazy. I'll wake up soon in my bed, I'm not going crazy."

I'm not sure how to continue, she's not willing to hear or believe anything I say anymore. She is still pacing round the meadow, unable to go down the road, because I am standing right in front of it, blocking her way. I can see her throwing wary glances at my way, probably afraid I'll do something to her. I can't blame her for behaving like this, if someone told you that they were an angel, would you believe it? Probably not, and like Elena you'd think that person is escaped from a mental institute. Right now, though, I have to get through to Elena, for her own sake, because I can't let her stay here much longer anymore, her time is running out quickly and if I don't do something right now, I'll lose her.

Elena stops in the middle of her step as I appear right in front of her, again. Her breath hitches and her big brown eyes immediately start to look for a way out.

I put my hands on her shoulders – "Elena, you have to listen to me, you have no other choice." I look into her eyes. "I know how insane everything is for you right now, but I can assure that this is not a dream, I won't hurt you and if you don't pull yourself together right away, you won't get to live any longer. This is the harsh truth, everything I've told you is the truth, do you understand me?"

Elena looks like a bucket of ice cold water has been thrown over her and her face adapts a sober expression as she nods carefully.

"You don't have to believe me, but you wanted to know, and everything I said about myself is the truth. And honestly, I don't believe that you'll remember all of this when we get you back, just right now I need you to trust me and do as I tell you." I go over this again, just to make sure that she's willing to cooperate.

"I won't remember any of this?" she asks quietly.

"No, probably not." Elena's body relaxes immediately, like I've told her the best news ever, and somehow that thought of her not remembering a thing I've said to her today, hurts me.

"Okay then," she's still being wary of me, "How do I get out of here?"

"There has to be another road here, that is the way out."

"I don't see any other roads besides that one over there," she points her finger to the shadowy path.

"That's the problem," I tell her, "the other road appears when you really want to get out of here. Usually people don't, because this is what they deem to be paradise and finally they'll go down that road which won't allow them to return."

"So you're saying that if I want this bad enough, I'll be able to get out?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"I do want to get out of here, but I don't see anything appearing," she looks around the meadow.

"It's hard I know," I glance around the meadow too and then back at Elena when I realize that my hands are still on her shoulders. I step away from her immediately and she looks at me, confused.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have invaded your space like that, especially when you're probably still afraid of me." I apologize.

Her face softens, all of her previous anger toward me has disappeared – "Um, that's okay, I didn't even notice that." She laughs nervously. "I'm not afraid of you, well not anymore, there's something very safe about you, it's just that everything you've told me so far is very hard to believe."

I nod, understanding.

"So, how do I make the road appear, then?" Elena changes the subject.

"It is your own mind that keeps you here right now." I look at her pointedly, "What are you afraid of?"

Her eyes go big as she looks at me, incredulous, but she quickly regains her composure.

"What do you mean? Like am I afraid of spiders or something like that?" she jokes.

"You are afraid of something in the real world, that is what's keeping you here. I believe that you do want to get out of here, but first you need to overcome that obstacle."

She shuffles her feet. "No, I'm not scared of the real world, that's silly."

"But yet, you try to avoid this subject. You can tell me, Elena. I promise you, it will help." I look into her deep brown eyes, she looks back her look not faltering and then takes a deep breath.

"I have no one," she whispers. "I'm alone all the time. Everyone has left me – my parents, I hardly see my friends and my brother avoids me like I'm the plague. I feel empty, every single day," tears are starting to fill her eyes, "but this place, I don't feel alone or sad. No pain exists here, no tears, no sorrow. And I do want to go back, but not for myself, for others. I don't want my brother to be without a family, the children in the hospital need me and my friends, with whom I so rarely meet, I don't want them to go through a loss. That's it, I'd go back for other people, but not for myself. I haven't lived for a very long time." She's shaking like a leaf and tears are falling from her eyes as she finally verbalizes what's she's been afraid to admit.

It's unbearable to watch her go through all that pain and without thinking I take a step forward and wrap her in a hug. She holds on to me tightly, and presses her cheek on my shoulder and her whole body shakes from her sobbing.

"You won't be sad forever, Elena, I promise." I say to her. "Life will get better, you just have to hang on." She starts to calm down, and her hold on me loosens, although her breathing is still ragged. She takes a small step back and I suddenly find myself wishing that I could hold her a bit longer. Elena wipes her tears from her cheeks and gives me small smile – "Well, aren't I bipolar, one minute I'm screaming at you, the next I'm crying like there's no tomorrow. Oh wait, there might not be a tomorrow for me," she tries to joke again.

I smile back at her – "Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, I do, actually. But I still don't see any other roads leading away from here," her eyes wander over the meadow.

"You only admitted your fear to yourself, now you have to overcome it."

"How?"

"Think of it, Elena, life is not only about doing what is best for other people. It's about living for yourself too. Imagine everything you'll miss, the chances to see the world, to find true love, have a family, to do something crazy," I say, grabbing her shoulders once again. "Imagine all the things that you won't get to experience, you're so young, Elena, I understand why you think that the other way would be so much easier, but you have so many years ahead of you, don't give up." Her eyes are locked with mine as she absorbs every word I say to her.

"I've always wanted to see the pyramids...," she trails off.

"See, already you have one thing to live for, don't throw your life away, I beg you. Your brother can't ignore you forever and you'll find many more friends and one day you'll meet someone, who will make your life worth living even more than it already is. Dreams can move the mountains and life is so much more than what your eyes have seen."

She's listens to my every word that comes from my mouth and her eyes start to sparkle more and more, it's like someone dead being coming back to life again. She nods her head, her eyes still glued to mine, there's a sudden change of atmosphere in the meadow, the air getting heavier by the second.

"Elena," I say urgently, "we don't have time left, this, right now is your only chance," I look at her intently. Her eyes finally leave mine and glance around the meadow, finally locking on a spot between the trees.

"I see it," she breathes.

"Good, go to it, now!" I push her lightly as a sharp gust of wind cuts through the small field.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, Elena, just go now!" She looks at me one last time, indecisive, I'm almost losing my patience, but she takes me by surprise when she hugs me and whispers in my ear: "Angel, or not, thank you." She runs past me straight into the woods and then she disappears. The meadow immediately starts to crumble and I realize it's time to go.

I'm back at Elena's hospital room, where she's been hooked to different machines for the past month. Jeremy is, as usual, by her side, drawing something in his sketchbook. He has been staying with her ever since the accident, hardly leaving her side. The first weeks were the toughest for him and there were many times I overheard him talking to her, saying how sorry he was for not speaking to her and not being there for her. The doctors didn't give her much hope, saying that her brain activity was at the minimum and it would probably be the best to unplug the machines, but fortunately, Jeremy has his sister's stubborn nature and he wouldn't let them do that.

Every day I had been trying to get a hold of her, but she has been unresponsive and when I did get a glimpse of her, she pushed me away. Today was the day I finally succeeded in contacting her, thankfully, because if I hadn't she'd be probably dead by now.

A sharp beep comes from the machine next to her, indicating that her heart rate has picked up. Jeremy drops his sketchbook and hurries by Elena's side, grabbing her arm.

"Elena, can you hear me?" there's a slight hint of desperation in his voice. "Someone, help!" he yells out. "Elena, please, please, can you hear me?" he looks at her face, which doesn't change but suddenly his eyes fly to her hand which he his holding and I notice that she's moving one of her fingers.

Unexpectedly, Elena takes a very deep breath and her eyes open. My heart almost stops when the first word comes out of her mouth: "Stefan."

I don't know when I'm able to update this again, because school is taking a big chunk of my time right now, but I promise that I won't let this story die.

And I still can't thank you enough for the reviews and your thoughts have been very helpful as well. :)

Oh and if you want, you can find me on tumblr at heystefan or twitter - hey_stef