Never thought I'd see this one the top of my favorites. Your author note is very nice. Thank you. Good luck in your life.

Good luck
Thanks for gifting us with this story all those years ago.

Amazing. Well written. Thank you so very much!

Phenomenal story. I devoured it.

I have mixed feelings about this story. On some parts I had to remind myself this was written so long ago (10 years wow!) so it was before so many things happened with Damon and Elena and it's understandable it'd be OOC or not sound like DE as a couple in some parts, but some parts were so spot on and you were ahead of time so I have to congratulate you on that. With that said I have a few things I have to review...

First of all, your Stefan here is so much more likable than in the show. It reminded me of the time when he was actually more likable in the first season, before he became more and more insufferable with the rest of the seasons. As we've seen on the show Stefan became a complete asshole about DE so reading this it was hard to imagine anything different but it was easier to tolerate him and I do wish the show did better job with him than turning him into one of the most unlikable tvd characters.

Second, I feel like it is unfair to compare your Damon and show Damon but I can't help but think he was just not developed enough in your story. Sometimes it felt like you were taking that road with him but then abruptly it stopped and started from the beginning for no reason. I guess at that time it was hard to imagine a much softer side of him but what confused me is that you did in fact take steps to take him there and then seemed to change your mind. Even though for me it lacked I did like him and there was much of his old personality here which to be fair made us fall for him in the first place so it felt nostalgic.

Third, I think for Elena you were more ahead of time. She had her old personality here but also growth too and she was less scared and guilt ridden than the way they made her in the show. Still scared and guilty and in denial of her feelings but I feel like here she was more accepting of them too. So all in all I liked her.

Now Defan is something I just don't like and don't enjoy so the turn to Defan in last chapters I wasn't a fan of. I guess it had to start somewhere and I see Defan in your story actually having a chance to repair their relationship unlike tvd which with more seasons just made them worse.

Finally, the most important part- Delena. I enjoyed the slow burn, they had chemistry and all the longing, and I liked the development of their relationship. You missed the opportunity to at least spend couple of chapters focusing on DE beginning and as a couple, instead of just telling us about it in last chapter, so that was like...I don't know...all the build up without actual payoff. But I did enjoy the last chapter because while some things are obviously off (like I can't imagine DE not saying I love you), some things are spot on with how well DE fit together and completed each other, their affection, taking care of each other, wanting to be with each other forever etc. so that was great because it's just like the show and how I can imagine them in this story.

I do think you lost the plot a little in the last chapters. Damon disappearing and regressing and then that whole part about Katherine's journal came out of nowhere and was so unsatisfying. I'm glad on the show when Damon got over her he really got over her and she had no power to make him feel bad. Also OOC for Damon in general but also part that didn't make sense is him wanting Elena and when he finally has a chance he goes off somewhere brooding?! I could've gone without these chapters because I don't think they fit. And like I said it would've been better to focus on DE than this side plot. I didn't see much sense in these parts and it sounds so unlike Damon.

Also this story is for some reason rated M and I don't see anything in this story that can be above T so it's misleading. While you grammar and spelling is great I wish you would correct the parts that really miss commas or to shorten sentences.

All in all, I enjoyed it and for a story from that time it was amazing even with some things I complained about. It gave me a nostalgic feeling of first two seasons DE and their beginning and also how you got some parts right including the parts of the ending was great.

There’s always such a lack of good Delena fanfics so I’m truly glad to have stumbled on this one. Thank you for this beautiful story.

This is the best slow burn Delena I've read. Well done.

Omg thank you I dont like it when often they present stefan as a bad guy and he really isnt, i love that you broke them up so peacefully thank you so much

Great work! :)

Good chapter. One question though. Why didn't Elena stick to her guns and give Stefan shit for not apologizing?

Such a sweet story, really well written.

You did a great job wiritbg the characters and they seem real and their personalities and the way they act is beliebable. So much better then some of the other stories ive read that make me think, "damon would never say that." Very descriptive, which love and the way you continued and developed the story

Superior! :). Well done.

Epic chapter!

Hmmmmmmm interesting development!