Title: Miles To Home

Summary: For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

Damon's POV…

"She'll be here," I promise Katherine. "She promised you, didn't she?"

Katherine looks at me pointedly. "She also promised she would be back in a few days and it's been weeks, Damon." She huffs and starts pacing along the hallway of the crowded, busy city hall. Her heels are echoing against the marble floors and I can tell just how nervous she is by the way she wrings her hands as she does. "I knew it was too good to be true."

I reach out for her, rubbing my arm against her burgundy blouse and stopping her fortieth lap and make her look at me. "I'm here, Stefan's here. Hell, even Caroline is here. You've got this great lawyer. You're going to win this."

She gives me a little nod and I know she's putting on her game face. This is a fight for her daughter; Katherine is going to do everything she can to get her back. Klaus never should have taken Nadia from her mother in the first place. But the guy has always been an asshole since the moment I met him.

Marcel Gerard, Elijah's lawyer, makes his way over dressed in some thousand dollar suit and gets Katherine's attention. "You ready?"

I watch as she takes a breath and this look of fierceness takes over her face. She's ready for battle. "Let's do this."

Together they push open the doors and I follow them inside. Caroline and Stefan are already seated behind the defendants table and I make my way over to them. As I take my seat, I look over my should hoping that Elena is just running late and not completely bailing on her sister when she needs her the most. But she's not there and when I turn to face the judge I see Katherine has noticed it too.

Despite Elena's promise to be back in a few days she's been stuck in New York for weeks just like Katherine said. At first I was hearing from her constantly but the longer she was there, the fewer her calls and texts got. I started to worry that she was falling back into the life she was trying to escape and we started fighting about it. When I told her a booked a ticket and was on my way she just about had enough and told me this was something she had to handle on her own.

And now she didn't even make it back for her sister.

Elena got her sister's hopes up and I have a feeling if Katherine doesn't get custody of her daughter, she'll always blame Elena. If that happens then all the work they've done this summer would've been for nothing. They'll both be right back where they started.

The bailiff steps forward and asks us to all rise and just as the judge approaches the sound of a door opening catches my attention. My head snaps to the back of the room and I can't help the shock on my face. Elena's here. She quietly rushes towards us in a black turtleneck sweater with white stripes around her wrists and neck and a grey printed skirt. Her legs are bare and she's got heels on and when my eyes make their way towards her face, I see that her hair is in waves and she's got bangs. I find myself looking at her ring finger, happy that it's still bare.

She looks completely different than the last time I saw her. She looks grown up, free. More like herself than I've ever seen her. Elena slides in next to me and leans over to whisper in my ear. "I didn't miss anything, did I?"

I shake my head, unable to get words out. There's so much I have to ask her and so much I want to say but right now isn't the time. We'll talk about us later. Right now we just need to support Katherine. Elena gives a wave to Caroline and Stefan and then I see her meet her sister's eyes and mouth something that makes Kat smile. All I care about right now is that at least she was able to keep one of her promises. Even if it wasn't the ones to me.

The judge begins to go over the case and both lawyers give a brief opening about what their clients expect. Klaus wants to keep full custody but Katherine is open to shared custody; not wanting to keep Nadia from her father, despite everything he's done to her. While growing up in the place Katherine used to live wasn't ideal by any means she still didn't deserve to lose custody of her child. Nadia didn't deserve to lose the right to her mother.

After both Klaus and Katherine give speeches about how far they've come since the last hearing, we're each called to the stand to give character statements; including some of Klaus' peers and family to show how much of a stand-up guy he is. Our testimonies are heartfelt and full of how much Katherine has grown while Klaus' are matter-of-fact. According to them Klaus is the father who stepped up when Katherine was in no position to raise a child, despite his busy academic schedule. What a load of bullshit. It all goes by in a blur and the judge is writing down constantly and I can only hope he sees how far Katherine has come. It's evident in everything we're saying and everything she has proven. The last custody battle Katherine only had me. Now she has a whole support system.

And I'll be damned if Elena's speech doesn't bring the whole room to tears. She addresses the reasons she wasn't here before and how she has seen for herself how Katherine has grown from the girl she knew to woman before her. I can't help but look over at the judge who seems completely moved by what she's saying. You'd have to have a cold heart not to. My eyes snap towards Klaus and I see the uncaring expression on his face. He actually has the audacity to look bored. Fucking asshole.

When Elena's finishing her speech, I hear the tears she's fighting to hold back as she speaks about how important it is to grow up with a mother as kind and caring as Katherine; a mother who would put her child's life before hers. She tells the judge how both of them grew up with parents who said they wanted the best but didn't really mean it and how unlike them her sister means every word—they both do. Everything Elena says before she steps off that stands and rejoins us reminds me that I have to be patient with her no matter how ready I am to begin our lives together.

Elena needed time to cut free of everything she thought she wanted. Hopefully now that she's back, it means she finally did.

"Well," the judge begins, "I've heard everything I needed to hear. These decisions are never cut and dry. In an ideal world, parents would be able to be cordial and work these things out without involving the courts. But some time it's necessary. Sometimes a parent is irresponsible and putting the child in danger." He clears his throat. "I don't see that here."

He begins shuffling some papers around, scribbling down on a few of them before he speaks again.

"I'm deciding on shared custody. The child deserves to have both parents and Miss Gilbert here has more than proved her growth since we last spoke. She's secured a better residence and her career choice works to keep her available for her daughter thanks to both her bosses being understanding to her situation. Both Miss Gilbert and Dr. Smith will switch off holidays and work on creating a more stable environment for Nadia. I recommend we start with a temporary home residence with Katherine Gilbert for a six month period and reconvene after to discuss."

The gravel slams down and the judge dismisses us all. Katherine is so ecstatic she hugs her attorney and they awkwardly separate but Elena quells the tension by leaning over the small wall separating us and hugging her sister. It starts an assembly line of sorts as we all make our way over to Katherine and share our congratulations.

Then I somehow find myself in Elena's arms as emotion over comes her. "Hey. You okay?"

She wipes under her eyes. "I'm just so happy I made it. I almost didn't."

I don't say anything as I hold her because I don't want to get into the reasons for her delay right now. There's too much to celebrate right now in this moment. And just as we're all about to leave I see Klaus' mother—a tall, refined woman with a blonde bob—walking towards us with a tiny girl in her arms. She's got dark wild curls and deep brown eyes framed by think lashes and from the moment she spies Katherine she's itching to get out of her grandmothers arms. I've met her before over the almost two years since she's been born but Elena hasn't.

The moment she sees the little girl, her eyes go wide. As much as I want to revel in that moment I can't help but look over at Katherine who races towards her daughter and takes her in her arms, swinging wildly about the room. "Nadia! My Nadia!"

"Mama!" the little girl cries, hugging her mother tightly.

"Wow," I hear Elena say. "It's one thing to know Katherine's a mom and entirely different thing to actually see it."

I smile and look in that direction. "Crazy, isn't it?"

But it's when I'm looking out into the otherwise empty court that I spy two faces that I hadn't expected to see here. We've been so wrapped in what's been going on in front of us that none of us took notice of who had slipped in to watch the proceedings. Neither of them approaches us but when they see that I've noticed them, they quietly gather their things and sneak out the door.

"Damon, what are you looking at?" Elena says, catching sight of the door closing. "Who was that?"

"Your parents."

Elena's POV…

"I know Kat," I say into the phone, climbing up the stairs. "I can't believe they showed up, but they did. Damon saw them."

My free hand slides along the railing as I walk up another flight. "But why didn't they come over to us? It doesn't make any sense," she says.

It doesn't. If they cared enough to show up, how couldn't they congratulate their daughter on getting custody of her child back? They just stayed and watched us and then slipped out when they were caught. "It doesn't. Maybe I got through to them. Maybe they're just not ready yet. I don't know. They came though and that means there's hope."

"Have you talked to them since you dropped out of Columbia?"

I sigh. "They showed up and tried to get me to rethink my decision but once the paperwork was done, they yelled and told me I wasn't the daughter they raised and I haven't talked to them since."

As I reach the top floor, I step out and stand in front of the door. Katherine's sighs over the receiver, "How you dealing with that?"

My back rests against the hallway wall, my foot resting along the molding. I blow a breath of air against my bangs—still not entirely used to them—and watch as they blow around a bit. It's something I did to define a change. I've had my hair styled the same way since I was little and I was long overdue for a change. "It's weird. I'm so used to them just hovering." I sigh. "But listen, I'll see you at your house later. I have to get going."

"See you then! Can't wait for you to really meet Nadia without her being so overwhelmed."

"Me too! She's adorable, Kat. See you later."

I hang up the phone and take a deep breath, lifting my hand up to knock on the wood door of Damon's apartment. He already knows I'm coming since he had to buzz me in but still I'm nervous. I know I screwed up because I wasn't honest with him about what was happening to me in New York. But there was no way I could. Everything happened the way it did because I stayed.

And now I'm free. I'm here. There's no going back.

The door swings open and Damon stands there in faded jeans and a blue and white plaid shirt. He's taking me to Katherine's later on but right now we have a lot to talk about. I just hope he'll listen. "Come on in," he says, ushering me inside.

Crossing over the threshold, I step inside his apartment and stand in the middle of his living room. He has the TV on some football game but it's muted. There's nothing but silence as he steps towards me, hands in his pockets, waiting for me to talk. I'm not sure what to say.

So, I start with being honest. "I couldn't come home."

"Why the hell not, Elena?" he asks, voice tight with emotion.

I frown. "Rebekah, my roommate in New York, well, she's Elijah's sister and she didn't take our whole break up too well. She wouldn't let me into my place and then she somehow convinced her family to pull Marcel off my sister's case. If he left my sister wouldn't have a shot in that case no matter what we said. A lawyer leaving just before a hearing isn't a good sign."

I'm exhausted once it all gets out. I've been holding on to it for weeks and to have the burden of it all off my shoulders feels like a relief. From moment I tried to use my old key to get into the Mikaelson brownstone and found the locks changed, my trip back to New York spiraled downhill. I couldn't get my things, my parents tried to stop me from dropping out and then my ex-boyfriend's family tries to get back at me by messing with my sister. It was a mess and the whole time I just wanted Damon to be there.

But I couldn't tell him because he would have wanted to get involved or tell Katherine and that was the last thing I wanted. The Mikaelson's would only make it worse for my sister. Instead, I just handled it. It just took a little longer than I expected and a lot of pleading to Elijah.

His eyes are on me and I can tell he's fighting a war within himself. I know he's mad that once again there are secrets between us; secrets that if we—I was just honest about we wouldn't be in this uncomfortable place we're in. When I left I was so hopefully for our future and now I'm not sure if we even have one. Part of me wonders if this is what Damon felt like when I ran away and left him with all questions and no answers.

"Why couldn't you just tell me this, Elena? Why all the secrets? You know how it felt when I kept you in the dark."

I want to reach for him but I don't. "I was scared you would make it worse and it wasn't your place, Damon. I hurt Elijah. What we did—when we did it was wrong."

He runs his hand through his hair. "I know."

Cautiously, I step towards him, press my hand to his chest. He doesn't pull away and I fight a smile. "Look it's over with Elijah. I'm not going back to New York. I have zero idea where my life is heading but I know whatever that future holds I want to share it with you. I want it to be with you."

His blue eyes are watching my brown ones and I try to just let him process it all instead of rambling on. I mean everything I said. I've basically quit my life and I'm rebuilding it from scratch. The only thing that hasn't changed is what I feel for him; what I hope for our future.

"You're staying?"

I nod, chew on my lip. "That's the plan. No idea where I'm staying or where I'm working but I'm here. I'm not leaving."

The corner of his mouth lifts and I'm confused by it all until he says, "You could always move in with me. That was the plan before I screwed it all up, right?"

"Damon," I say, incredulously. "That's crazy! We can't move in together."

He shrugs, smiling. "Why not?"

"Because we're starting over. We haven't been around each other for years. We…"

His hands run their way up my arms, fading my speech. He's still smiling; this happy, exultant smile that gives me butterflies. "I thought you weren't running away?"

My eyes study him and I can tell he's being honest; he means it. Every word. Damon actually wants me to move in with him despite the fact that I just disappeared on him once again and I have no job prospects, he's willing to give us a chance. Before our lives got off track and we each took our own path, this is where our lives were headed. We were going to live together and begin our futures together. Me with my future planned and his unsure. Only now it's Damon who is the secure one and I'm now the one with the unknown future.

"You really want to do this?"

He takes my hands in his. "With you? I've never been more certain."

"Damon, shouldn't we take this slow?"

"Elena," he says, pulling me closer, "do you love me?"

I nod. "More than anything."

His head cocks, smile bright. "And I love you. I've waited long enough to begin our life together and I'm sick of waiting. Aren't you?"

Now my smile matches his own. He sounds so exhausted and impatient—ready to start our future. And to be honest? So, am I. I'm over whatever life my parents wanted me to create; over Elijah and the whole Mikaelson mess. I've been running from Damon and I'm tired of it. Tired of denying what I've always known: that I love him; that we belong together.

"Okay," I smile, squeezing his hands and standing up on my tippy-toes to get closer to his face. "Let's do this."

"Really?" he says, leaning forward, brushing his nose against mine.

I nod and close the distance between us, crashing my mouth to his. But not before I whisper, "Let's move in together, Damon."

And then he kisses me….in our apartment.

"This is your aunt, Nadia," Katherine whispers, leading the little girl towards me. "Your Aunt Elena."

"'Lena," she mumbles, trying to repeat my name, her eyes looking between me and her mother confused. She can tell our faces are the same but it's still confusing her much like it did in the courtroom where she couldn't stop doing a double take. Even then she figured out who her mom was, even if her aunt shares the same face.

I give her a smile, kinking my head to her level. "Hi, Nadia."

"Hi."

Damon hands me the talking Elmo we bought before coming here and I thrust it in into her line of sight. "Your mommy told me you like Elmo. Would you like to play with him together?"

I press the button on his foot and Elmo lifts the cloth in his hands to cover his eyes and plays peek-a-boo. The reaction Nadia has is priceless. She absolutely loses it. Her eyes go wide and the wide smile on her face is bright and beautiful. She looks a lot like how Katherine and I looked when we were little, with full cheeks and full brown eyes.

Her little hand shoots out and points at Elmo and then she's tugging on the cloth and trying to see his face. I play along with her, covering my eyes and playing her favorite game. She begins to play it too and soon enough she's comfortable enough to sit on my lap as Damon holds the toy and faces us.

I can't believe I have a niece who is nearly two and I've had no idea. This little girl is so full of laughter and love that I can't imagine how my parents can cut her off so easily. I get this whole situation not fitting with their ideals of how things could be, but to cut off a little girl who has done nothing wrong doesn't sit well with me. I'm thankful for her because without her coming into our lives, I never would've got out from my parents; never made up with my sister.

"Funny," she giggles, leaning back against me.

"Silly Elmo," I say, tickling her sides.

"Silly Elmo," she repeats, laughing hard and reaching out to grab the toy from Damon's hands. He lets her and she hugs the toy close her smiling up at him with this toothy little grin that melts my heart. I can even see the effect it has on him as he leans close and rubs noses in an Eskimo kiss. Nadia laughs. "Hugga Mugaa!"

I kink my head at him, confused. Damon just smiles and says, "It's what she calls it since she can't say Eskimo."

"How did she come up with that?" I ask.

"She didn't. I did."

Chuckling I say, "You're adorable."

He stares at me and Nadia as I show her how to press the toy to get it working. "Do you want one of these?" he says, helping Katherine's daughter keep the toy upright.

Smiling, I look up at him and say, "Someday."

Katherine chooses that moment to walk in with some mimosas. I take mine and Damon takes his and Katherine grabs Nadia in her arms and kisses her cheek, holding her own glass out in the air. "Thank you both for everything you've done for me. I wouldn't have this one in this beautiful place without you. Someday I hope I can repay you for everything you've done for me."

Damon brings the glass to his lips and gives me a sideways glance as he mumbles, "Here's to someday."

I'm looking forward to someday, but for now I'm looking forward to today and tomorrow and living in the present; the joy and chaos of figuring my life out along the way.

A/N: I know you all were waiting for a certain long awaited date but you'll have to wait till the next chapter. Delena still had some things to work out. But now that they have we can put aside the angst and just enjoy the happily ever after. I told you we would get there ;)