Well folks, today is a great day, Nina has confirmed her return for the end and I am ecstatic and overjoyed with the news. I am so happy that I never gave up on my OTP and that there's a huge chance that we might get the happy ending we're all looking for. And because I am so excited and I want everyone to be happy and on full Delena mood today, I bring you an early update.

I hope you enjoy the new chapter and that you are as happy as me today.

Love you all.

Sam

"I think part of me had wanted him to walk in here and save the day. But sometimes, when the dust is wiped from the looking glass, the only thing revealed is a reflection full of cracks"

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S.D. Hendrickson

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Elena Gilbert took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure she looked her best self and then headed towards the door. She hated herself for that one last look in the mirror because it meant that she cared too much for what was waiting downstairs for her. She tightened the sash of her coat and exited the door of the building and there he was like every single morning for the past week, Damon Salvatore was leaning against the stone brick building waiting for her.

He walked her to work every single day and was waiting for her once the show was over, she tried to make him go away the first few days but realized soon enough that there was no way to discourage Damon when he had set his mind on something. Elena wasn't even speaking with him nor had she been during the last few days but that didn't seem to matter because he still waited for her even though it meant walking next to her in complete silence.

Elena was sure a lot of people would think that this situation was very strange, even Liam even had suggested that she call the police when he saw Damon waiting for her. But even though she would never say it out loud, Elena loved having him near her.

"Good morning Damon" She greeted him

"Morning doll" He said with a half smirk. It was the first time in three days she greeted him so that was already progress for him.

"How long are you going to keep this up for Damon?" Elena asked as they walked towards the subway station.

"As long as I need to darling" He told her

"Don't you have a job to get back to?" She asked, dying to know the answer. She had already raided Caroline with questions about Damon but the blonde had denied answering any of them, she kept telling her that if she wanted to know she should ask the questions herself.

"Yes I do" He said simply

"And they are expecting you?"

"Yes"

"So you'll be back soon?"

"Maybe" He shrugged and threw her a mischievous glance

"So you plan to convince me before that?" She arched an eyebrow in his direction

"Maybe"

"You're so full of yourself" Elena rolled her eyes but a small smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. "So what do you do Damon?"

"I own a restaurant" He shrugged

Elena looked at him with a raised eye brow and her mouth slightly open "You own a restaurant?"

"Yes, a sea food kind of restaurant. It's a small place but we're doing pretty well" He smiled slightly in a boyish way Elena hadn't seen since he got back.

"For how long have you been in the business?" Elena asked with genuine curiosity. Of all the jobs she had pictured Damon having a restaurant was probably the last one, even though he did always love to cook.

"For about two years" As they walked down the stairs of the subway Damon placed a hand on her lower back and Elena swore the heat of his body was burning through her coat.

"And before that, what did you do?" Now that she had started Elena wasn't able to stop with the questions, she wanted more and more pieces to put the puzzle that was Damon together.

"I went back to school" Damon told her with the proudest smile. Right now, here with her he was so far away from the dark gloomy guy he had turned over the years.

"You did?" Elena asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I- I wanted to make you proud" He whispered with an edge of vulnerability in his words "I kept thinking that if I saw you again someday I would hate to be the guy who did nothing with his life… so I went back to school"

"Oh Damon" Elena murmured while an ache started spreading in her heart. His words were cutting her deeper and deeper; every time he spoke she realized how far the truth was from what she had believed all of those years. And she got angry all over again when she realized everything that she missed in his life because of those lies that broke them apart so many years ago.

"Afterwards I worked with some architects all over the world. I made really good money there but with time I stopped enjoying it so Stefan and I decided to open the restaurant" They went inside the surprisingly vacant train and took a seat near the door. "When he moved here I became the sole owner"

"Oh Lord" Elena crossed her arms in front of her body to stop the cold and shivers going up her body. This man next to her was so far away from the boy she met once upon a time and yet she still felt as safe and confident with him as she did back in the days "I'm proud of you Damon"

The look he gave her melted her in her seat, his cheeks turned slightly pink and his mouth curved into a happy smile, it was as if he had waited his entire life to hear her say those words "Thank you darling" He placed a strand of her hair behind her ear and she leaned her head into his hand. Elena was finding that it was way too easy to fall back into lost habits; it had always been so easy to get lost in that man.

"And who is taking care of the restaurant right now?" She asked once she was able to pull back from the spell he had casted on her.

"Lisa is"

She hated the jealous feeling that started crawling up her body at the mention of another woman's name. Elena knew that she and Damon were not together so therefore she had no claim over him or what he did with his life "And who is Lisa?" The brunette asked in spite of herself

"A very friendly elder woman who lives next to us" He smiled knowingly at her. It had always been so easy for him to read her "She and her husband are good friends with Stefan and I so they agreed to take care of the place while I was away"

"Oh"

"You're my only girl Elena" He whispered as he bumped his shoulder with hers playfully. Even though she tried to stop it she couldn't help the smile that crept into her face at his words.

Elena was enjoying having Damon with her and the idea that he could be returning to North Carolina soon filled her with dread, she chastised herself all the time for feeling like this because with little to no effort Damon was managing to weasel his way back into her heart and Elena couldn't let that happen. She was too fragile, she wouldn't survive it again.

She turned gloomy the rest of the way and they walked in silence despite Damon's futile attempt to strike conversation again; the magic was gone and she was hiding in a corner once again.

He dropped her off at the theater as he always did and promised to be there when she finished, not that she answered or anything. Elena walked into the place sulking and in a terrible mood.

"I can't believe he's still following you around" Liam said the minute she entered the stage; Elena went to drop her things on the nearest chair and sat on the floor to put on her dancing shoes.

"It doesn't matter Liam" She said in a way that gave no foot to conversation, she was feeling very down and the last thing she wanted was Liam raiding her with questions she couldn't answer.

"You should probably call the police like I told you to"

"Liam-"

"I know that you have some kind of story but it's not normal for him to follow you around"

"Liam please stop!" Elena nearly shouted and he looked at her with surprise at her outburst "I'm sorry" She said while shaking her head and standing up "Just please let it go" She squeezed his shoulder and moved towards the other dancers to start stretching.

Elena spent the entire night in a blur; she couldn't get Damon out of her head. She danced flawlessly like she always did but definitely wasn't putting her heart into it. This was their last week presenting the show and luckily after that she would have some time to herself, she had been working nonstop for the last two years and even though she loved her job she felt like she needed a vacation. Otherwise she was going to lose her mind.

When she walked out of the theater that night she was shocked and more than a little hurt at not finding Damon there, she realized that maybe he had caught her hints and finally decided to stop bothering her, that thought caused her to be deeply sad and then she got angry because she had given Damon the power to hurt her again.

Elena arrived to her building and headed straight to Caroline's apartment, the blonde girl had a date with Stefan so Elena had agreed to babysit Lizzie. Spending time with her niece was exactly what Elena needed at the moment.

"Hey sweetheart" Caroline enveloped her in an embrace the minute the door was opened, Elena smiled against her friend's hair, Caroline always seemed to know when she needed a hug or comforting words. "Thank you so much for taking care of Lizzie tonight"

"Don't worry Care; we'll have a good time, right Liz?" Elena asked as she stepped inside and looked at the little girl sitting on the living room couch. Elena's gaze registered the other person in the room and her heart somersaulted when she realized it was Stefan.

"Hey" The younger Salvatore said with a timid smile and a small wave

"Hey Stefan" Elena whispered

He stood up from the couch where he had been sitting with Lizzie and started walking slowly towards her "Would it be wrong if I gave you a hug?"

Elena stared at him and the hopeful look in his eyes broke her heart, she couldn't find the strength to mutter a single word so she only nodded and instantly she was surrounded by Stefan Salvatore's arms. She closed her eyes as another wave of painful nostalgia washed over her; she had been feeling those a lot lately.

This was the guy who was once one of her best friends, the scrawny and shy kid who no one wanted to talk with at school but he wasn't none of those things anymore. He was a successful teacher who lived in a great city now, a long way from the guy she used to know. Just like Damon he was a completely different person but yet so strangely familiar to her.

"You look nice" She said with a small smile once they parted

"Thanks, I guess I did change a bit" He said shyly while gesturing at himself, out of the corner of her eye Elena could see Caroline staring at them with a hopeful look on her face

"Yeah" Elena whispered with a bit of sadness laced in her words "Oh God but don't let me keep you here, you guys should go" She gestured to her best friend "Lizzie and I will be okay on our own"

"Auntie Ellie and I will bake cookies" Lizzie came over and circled her arms around Elena's waist; she gripped the little girl tightly and ruffled her hair slightly. Lizzie just like her mom seemed to know just when Elena needed a bit of comfort.

"Yeah, yeah" Caroline said with a bright smile and took Stefan's hand "Let's go darling" Stefan's eyes moved to the blonde woman next to him and the adoration in his eyes while looking at her almost made Elena sigh. There was no doubt Caroline had found one of the good ones this time.

Right before they walked out of the door Stefan stopped and turned to Elena "He got a call from work, had to check in on something, that's why he wasn't there today but he's still in town"

"I-uh"

"He's not giving up" Stefan said with a smirk that made him look so similar to his brother before disappearing behind the door. Elena stood there, thinking of his words and what they meant, thinking of how much relief had filled her when she found out that he wasn't gone, she stood there not moving until Lizzie's voice brought her back to reality.

They set the things in the kitchen so they could start with their cookies, Elena loved baking, it was something that calmed her down and gave her time to think and she loved doing it with Lizzie. Caroline was completely awful in the kitchen so the little girl had learned a few things from Elena who in her free time was always in the kitchen making something.

"Are you going to marry Stefan's brother, auntie Ellie?" Lizzie asked so casually while Elena almost dropped the eggs she was holding at her comment

"What? Why are you asking this?" She looked at the girl with curiosity while cracking the eggs in the bowl resting on the counter

"Because I hear them talking and he's in love with you"

"You heard who talking?"

"Mommy, Stefan and him"

Elena took a wooden spoon and started whipping the batter in the bowl while her mind started going a mile a minute "When was Damon here?"

"The other day" Lizzie shrugged "I think you should marry him auntie Ellie"

Elena almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity and innocence of her niece's comment "And why is that Liz?"

"Because he looks like a prince" The girl told her in a tone that suggested she should be crazy not to realize this before "And he's super funny"

Elena arched a brow as she focused on the batter in front of her, the Damon she used to know had been a sweet, funny, caring guy but ever since she returned she had seen less of that guy. Of course he was still somewhere in there but now he seemed more dark and even sad, she guessed that after everything they went through it was understandable, but she was glad that his soft and funny side still resurfaced once in a while.

"And I think he's funny enough to make you stop being sad auntie Ellie"

Elena stopped what she was doing and turned around to the little girl, her words being like a bucket of ice cold water on her "Why do you say that Lizzie?"

"Well sometimes when you think no one is looking…" Lizzie climbed onto the counter and looked at the floor "You get this look in your eyes, like your heart is breaking"

Elena was at a loss of words as she stared at the worried eyes of her niece; how was it that a ten-year-old girl could see so clearly what was so easy to hide from the rest of the world?

"You should give him a chance"

"You think?" Elena asked softly

Lizzie smiled a big toothy grin "Of course silly" She put her hand on Elena's cheek "He's a prince" She told her in a hushed tone

Elena threw her head back and laughed "And how do you know how a Prince looks like?"

"Come on auntie Ellie, everyone knows how a prince should be like" The girl rolled her eyes in a gesture that made her resemble her mother "And he's way better than Liam"

"Dear Lord what did Liam ever do to you?" Elena joked as she dug the spoon into the batter once again.

Lizzie shrugged "He has a funny face" Elena smiled as she placed the spoon in Lizzie's mouth so she could lick the batter off.

They spent the rest of the night playing around while they cooked and then telling stories while they ate their creations. Once Lizzie was fast asleep Elena put her in her bed just as Caroline was walking through the door.

"He's perfect Elena" The blonde girl said in a dreamy voice "I've never been this happy"

"I'm so glad for you Caroline" Both women hugged each other while basking in the blonde's happiness. There was nothing Caroline wanted more than for Elena to be as happy as she was; after all they deserved it after everything they went through to reach this moment. She knew Damon was the right man for Elena but decided not to push her on it yet, she needed to realize that on her own.

"Thank you so much for taking care of her Elena" Caroline told her with warm eyes.

"Anything you want Blondie" Elena smiled before heading towards her own apartment.

Once inside Elena put on one of her favorite records before shedding her clothes and heading towards the bathroom where she took a long hot bath while trying to block everything else around her but the sound of the music.

When she was done she wrapped herself in her favorite silk robe and stared at herself in the mirror. Elena was a beautiful woman and she was aware of the fact, people complimented her all the time; her looks, her grace, her smile but all of those people failed to see the one thing her niece could see.

She was broken.

With a deep sigh she exited the bathroom and headed towards the living room where the record she put on earlier was still playing, she reached into the shelf and pulled out another one, one whose case was ripped from the use. With a deep breath she put it on and when the beginning strings of Doris Day's Dream a little dream of me started sounding she couldn't hold the tears back anymore.

This had been their song; they had danced to it on more than one occasion. If the song ever came on the radio while they were driving Damon would stop the car and pull her out so they could dance, it didn't matter where they were.

Elena wrapped her arms around herself as she swayed to the soft music. It never ceased to amaze her how the human brain worked. How something so simple as music, or a smell or a touch or even just a small sound could connect you to other places or moments. How something as simple as this song could evoke such strong emotions that were buried deep inside her, and make her feel exactly how she felt the first time she listened to it.

As Elena kept swaying to the music she started to wonder if keeping Damon away was the right call or if Lizzie had been right. Caroline had urged her to confirm his story with the police and she had done it. Damon hadn't lied, he didn't show up that day because they arrested him, everything she ever believed was a lie. But that didn't change the facts or what happened afterwards, loving Damon had destroyed her life but he was also the one who taught her how to live it.

Elena had her fair share of painful years, suffering for her love and her baby and the future that was ripped away from her. Was it worth it to keep suffering because she was afraid of being hurt? Wasn't she hurting right now anyway?

The song kept playing the rest of the night as she danced around the empty apartment with just the illusion of the only man she had ever loved as a companion.

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