Stay to the end please for any explanation you may or may not care about.

Chapter 21-

BB has been working hard and I have been working Stefan harder. I myself have been trying to strengthen my abilities, use them more frequently because you never know what might come in handy. It's hard and surprisingly taxing on my body but rarely did I collapse.

When I wasn't working on my magic I was working on my friends. I refused to let Jeremy try and cope like he did originally or let Elena lose the lighter things in life. Jeremy seemed to be doing a lot better, maybe because of the support system he had now. Tyler and him were very close, bonding over art and video games.

Today they were playing some shooter I never learned the name of when I came to check on Elena. "Where is she?"

"You know where she is." Jeremy said. I held in my groan and proceeded to the cemetery where I caught sweet El Bell writing in her diary looking the part of the depressed teen in every novel. Instead of outwardly judging her, because I was judging her, I took my spot next to her and waited until she was done writing.

"You know you don't always have to come and get me. I actually like being here." Elena told me with her sad eyes still on the paper in front of her.

"Ok." I said simply.

"When are you going to leave?"

"When you do."

She sighed in frustration. "Can that be now?"

"I don't know. Your ass cheeks tired from sitting here all day?"

Finally Elena got frustrated enough with me that she got up and exploded. "You have no reason to talk about the way I coped when you were there! You saw me lose my parents and I almost lost you too! How-" She choked back her tears "how can you just be ok after that. How can you just keep coming after me when you know that it should have been me to die in that car."

I did what any friend could in this situation. I took her into my arms and allowed the seemingly strong gilbert a moment to break down. I knew that she wasn't ok, nobody would be after what she went through. Every flash of grief, quiet moment, absence of any kind, I knew Elena was coping the only way she knew how. She wanted to be as close to her parents as possible.

"I can't go back into that house and see what's not there anymore. And Jenna, god, she can't raise kids. She's still in college and living out her twenties." She sobbed into my shoulder. Crying wasn't pretty and admittedly I was kinda uncomfortable but I stayed. I kept quiet and let my friend find comfort in me.

Slowly her sobbing died down into quiet shakes. She pulled back to wipe the tears off her face and put herself back together again.

"Elena, can I tell you a story?"

"Does it have a happily ever after?" She joked but looked hopeful.

I smirked at her. "Maybe. Sit." I sat down and patted the spot next to me. I had never told anyone this story, a story from my past that haunted me. Where my true heartbreak lied and I wallowed.

"I have had to watch my mother lose everything she loved since I was old enough to remember. It started with Windy's dad and then her twin. My mother quickly spiraled after that. Maybe, just maybe, if she had lost only Windy's dad she may have been able to bounce back but losing her brother… That's a pain that never goes away. I watched my mother give up on Windy who was just a baby and succumb to any alcohol within reach. A few months later we moved here and I think "Please let her get it right this time." I wanted so badly for her to be a mother that Windy deserved even if I did the motherly things at eight years old. While she grieved I was making bottles, changing diapers and rushing to get home because I knew she would never be able to take care of Windy."

I reached for Elena's hand and squeezed in comfort. "My mother let her grief takeover. She forgot about her kids. The difference between my mother and you Elena is that she pushed everyone away and they let her. She moved and no one stopped her. There was no authority around to tell her to get her act right, not for her health, but for us. You have friends who would be happy to be around through all your shitty moments and pick you up when you fall. Lean on us, share the pain with us. Jeremy misses his sister, I know he does. So don't be my mother and forget about the people who love you. Use us as an anchor when it gets too much.

"These next few months are going to suck, believe me. And come out here as many times as you need, just remember to come back home where the people who love you are waiting."

Elena pulled me in for a tight hug. I think she's trying to comfort me too. I accepted it, I didn't have it when I was younger so I'd take it now.

"I'll try, I promise."

Please don't end up like my mother El Bell.

After our much needed heart to heart the days that followed were better. Not great but easier than the dark cloud that hung over our heads. Elena came home earlier than before, spent more time with Jeremy. She even found the strength to listen to Carolines rants which I have officially checked out on.

And me, I was making progress. I felt like maybe I really was changing things. When I look at where it all could have led to and what I have done to prevent it I did good.

There was still so much more to do. Katherine, Mason, Destructive Damon not to mention the enemies that would follow in the coming days. So for now, I was going to enjoy my peace and come what may, I was ready. And they would be too.

And we back, and we back…

Nope not funny, got you.

Honestly… I'm happy to be writing this again. The last few months have been A LOT. I moved, had to come back home to help out, moved again and now finally have my bearings to get back to where I was. In the future I'm not making any promises because I hate getting people's hopes up. What I write I write and post I post. That's just what's going to happen.

Until next Time- BigSmallWonder