A/N: Hey All! So, Here's my new story. It starts out sad, But I promise you that it does get better. Hope you all check it out and let me know what you think! :)

Enjoy & Thanks for Reading!

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CHAPTER ONE-Learning To Breath Again-

Elena Salvatore couldn't breathe. The air tightened around her lungs as she tried to inhale and exhale. Yet, it seemed as if she was choking on each breath that she took. It had been 7 months since the accident that took their precious Ava away from them and Elena still couldn't sleep in the same bed as her husband, Stefan Salvatore. Whenever he would beg her, just so that he could hold her as she cried herself to sleep, she would refuse.

Elena didn't blame him; she knew that it wasn't his fault. But, she still couldn't be in the same room as the man that she had loved since she was a teenager. She was 17 years old, when they had met and since then, they had been inseparable. Stefan had proposed to her on her 22nd birthday and without a doubt in her mind, she accepted. Elena loved him and she loved the family that she was building with him in the small townhouse on the outskirts of North Carolina.

But, their dreams and their lives had all changed in a fraction of a second when little five year old, Ava had ran out after a ball in the street. The driver swore that he didn't see her and that it was an accident and part of Elena knew that he was right; it wasn't the driver's fault. No one really was to blame, it was an accident. But, she needed someone to blame, so she blamed Stefan for it all. Taking her anger out on him for the fact that he was out in the yard with their daughter and he was the one that was supposed to be looking after her. But, he had gotten distracted for just a second and then, tragedy struck.

So now, here they were 7 months later after the death of their daughter and they still couldn't even speak to each other the way that they had done so many times in the past, with ease. Instead, the sight of Stefan made her stomach churn with disgust and the sound of his voice made her cringe.

Elena hated herself for it. She wished that she could stop blaming him, stop acting like he was the one who caused it all. But, she couldn't and here she was months after burying their little girl, still not sleeping in the same room as her husband of 5 years. She had been sitting in the living room, wrapped up in a blanket of grief and crying as she glided her shaking fingertips across a picture of Ava's smiling face and her bright green eyes that had once been so full of life.

"Elena…?" Stefan's voice sent shock waves through her body as she stiffened at the sound of his voice and then finally for the first time in what seemed like months, she looked over at him as he spoke.

"Caroline and Klaus called. They wanted to know if we'd like to go out to dinner with them tonight?" Stefan asked her. He wanted her to say yes. Hell, he prayed that she would agreed to go out, as he stood in the middle of his living room, watching as his wife looked at him, like he was an intruder in their own home.

"Elena, You haven't been out to see your friend's in months...They're starting to wonder..if-." Stefan said in a shaky voice as he suddenly watched Elena jump up from the couch and glare at him.

"What? They've wondering what? If I've 'moved on' from losing our daughter! How does a mother move on from that? Tell me, Stefan. Since you seem like you are such a fucking expert at it!" Elena nearly bellowed, raising her hands in the air from the frustration. Feeling the tension in the room that could have been cut with a knife, intensify as Stefan locked his eyes on hers and then with a steady voice he spoke.

"I miss her too! I miss her every fucking day of my life! She was my daughter too and I blame myself for what happened. If only I would have been paying better attention! If only, I would have been looking after her more. I'm sorry, I am so sorry. But, my apologizing isn't going to bring Ava back. She's gone, Elena. Our daughter is 6 feet under the damn ground because of a mistake that I made…not looking, not paying closer attention." He told her in a broken tone as he watched her scoff at his words.

"That's exactly it. Stefan, you weren't paying close attention! Tell Klaus and Caroline that I'm not feeling well. I'll call Caroline sometime this week." Elena said as she brushed passed him and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge as she slammed it shut. She rested her head against the cool stainless steel refrigerator as she heard his footsteps behind her.

"Elena, you can't keep yourself locked up in this house! We need to mourn; we need to learn how to live again. All, I'm saying is that I'm going out with your friends tonight and I would love it, if my wife would join me." Stefan told her in a tone that was above a whisper as he watched Elena run her hands through her long brown hair. The wedding ring that he had given her glistened in the light as he heard her exhale and then she looked up at him with frustration and hurt in her dark brown eyes.

"Please, Stefan. Let me grieve on my own terms. I know that you want me to move on. But, I can't let her go. Not yet. She was the sweetest little angel in my life and she was the one thing that bound me and you together…forever. How am I supposed to let that go? How am I supposed to...move on?" Elena said in a choppy tone as she turned and clutched the island that was in the middle of the kitchen for support. She watched as Stefan took a few steps closer towards her and her chest tightened once more as he stood in front of her.

"I don't know, sweetheart. But, I promise you that we'll figure this out, we'll work through it together and every step of the way, I'll be there to catch you if you fall. Elena, I love you so much and I'm not giving up on us. Ava was the best thing that had ever happened to me too and I am never going to forget our little girl. But, I can't watch you destroy yourself in your own grief any longer. Elena, Please babe…let me help you." Stefan told her as he slowly walked towards her. She was still clutching the island for support as large watery tears filled her brown eyes and a shrieking noise escaped her lips.

Stefan instantly stepped closer to her, wrapping his fragile wife in his arms as she grabbed onto his white t-shirt and sobbed. He stayed silent as he held her close, eventually after fifteen minutes of hearing her breathing even out. He knew that she had finally let go of the built up frustrations and anger that had been following them around like a black cloud since the day that they had said goodbye to Ava. But, his heart jumped when Elena's small and heartbroken voice spoke. "We need to move on. But, I don't even know how to begin." She told him as she buried her face into his chest and she could feel Stefan's body hold her closer as they slide down onto the wooden floor of their kitchen and wordlessly helped each other grieve.

A/N: So, What did you think? Will they be able to move on or will this tragedy of losing Ava tear them further apart?