The end is finally here, thank you so much for always supporting me and for sharing with me every comment and thought about this story, I really hope I did it justice and that you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

Love you all!

Well life is a dream 'cause we're all walking in our sleep

You could see us stand in lines like we're dead upon our feet

And we build our house of cards and then we wait for it to fall

Always forget how strange it is just to be alive at all

.

.

The pen glided effortlessly across the stark white paper. She was resting in the window seat of her New York dorm, her back was hunched as she leaned over the journal that rested over her knees, the tips of her curled hair fell across the words as she poured her thoughts into what had become her loyal companionship over the last couple of years.

Elena Gilbert had kept a journal since she was a little girl and her mother got her a Little Mermaid sparkly one from one of her trips, but the habit became stronger only after the time she spent in the facility. Her doctor, Elijah Mikaelson, believed there was no better therapy than to pour your thoughts onto paper once your head felt too overwhelmed with them.

The thoughts that overwhelmed her at the moment had everything to do with her upcoming exams and her anxiety over having a perfect score. It was relieving, that her worries no longer involved slit wrists or substance abuse. Four years after she tried to kill herself, Elena was healthier than ever and feeling very grateful for the second chance life gave her.

She was majoring in teaching and had a great life filled with laughter and love, something that once upon a time seemed to be out of the reach of her hands.

The feel of her cell phone vibrating against her leg served her as a reminder of how good her life was at the moment because when she saw the name on the screen she couldn't contain the wide grin that spread across her lips.

"Hello"

"You forgot we had a date?"

She laughed under her breath "Of course not, but I still have—" Her words were cut off by a gasp once she saw the time the watch on her wrist marked "Shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize the time"

The voice at the other side of the phone laughed in that low tone she adored so much "Don't worry about it, I am a patient man"

"I'll be there in a minute"

"And I'll be waiting"

Horrified with her easiness for distraction she disconnected the call and closed her journal before stashing it underneath the cushion of the window seat, all the while her roommate, who was lying with on her bed with her nose buried in a book laughed underneath her breath.

"You live in the clouds sometimes Gilbert," She said "I wouldn't let that man alone for even a second" Elena stuck her tongue out at her in a childish act which made the other girl laugh loudly this time "You better hurry"

Elena slipped her feet into a pair of red ballerina flats and grabbed her purse as she rushed to the door, "See you later April, don't fantasize too much with my boyfriend"

"I'll try not to"

Elena closed her door with a smile and rushed down the stairs.

Luckily the café where she had agreed to meet him and their friends wasn't far from campus, so she knew she wouldn't keep him waiting for much; not that it mattered, because as he had said it himself, he was the most patient man in the face of the earth.

She rushed through people and cars in a hurry to get to him, her feet almost floating in an attempt to go faster, she was only a couple of blocks away when a scene captured her eyes and made her stop in her tracks.

A little girl of around eight years old walked hand in hand with her mom while a happy looking cocker spaniel trailed next to them, a pink sparkly leash around her neck. They reached a crosswalk and as the light turned to red, the little girl leaned down towards the small dog and pet him lovingly.

Elena watched the dog lick the little girl's face and heard the sound of delight she released to the act. A smile stretched her lips wide as she observed the scene, the slightly humid air washed over her face and chilled the skin the sun had heated previously. The feeling was magical, she raised her head towards the sky with her eyes closed and breathed in deeply, feeling it all wash over her.

What a beautiful thing is to be alive.

The thought swirled in her mind and filled her with a huge sense of peace. When her eyes opened, the little girl was no longer there, but the feel her innocence and enjoyment of life had left behind remained, ingrained into her every bone.

So, with a flare in her step and a grin on her face she continued her path.

It wasn't long before she was standing in front of the small café their little group of friends loved so much. She stood by the window for a while and observed the dark-haired man who was sitting in a half-hidden booth by the left corner.

His nose was buried in some scattered papers above the table as he sipped quietly from his stark white mug. His eyes drank with interest the content in those papers and a frown showed up on his forehead when he found, most likely, something that he didn't like.

She felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips before she decided to open the door and step inside. She felt a chill travel down her spine at the feel of the cooling air-conditioned on her skin, the smell of coffee beans and freshly baked bread filling her nose and making her inhale deeply.

Elena walked with slow steps towards the booth he was in, his eyes rising to meet hers as the sound of her feet alerted him of her arrival "Hello handsome" She said chirpily as she leaned down and kissed his cheek quickly before forcing him to scoot over so she could sit next to him.

"Hey there," He said as he recovered from the surprise of her arrival. His clear blue eyes drank in her excitement and glowy appearance as she smiled at him "You look happy today"

"Is there a reason not to be?" She answered before her eyes moved towards the second mug resting above the table.

Damon's eyes followed hers and he stretched his hand to grab the mug "I ordered your favorite" He said as he handed it over to her. Elena's eyes closed as she inhaled the magical scent of chocolate and mint "Just arrived so is still hot"

Her eyes opened and she gifted him another quick smile "You know me too well"

Damon smirked as he grabbed a plate Elena hadn't noticed earlier and moved it in her direction "Too damn well" He said as she leaned down and took in the delicious-looking Spanish ham and Cheese Panini.

Elena stared at the food in the plate adoringly before her eyes moved back to his again "Remind me not to leave you alone for too long" She said, remembering her roommate earlier words.

He gave her a quizzical look "Huh?"

Elena laughed under her breath "Nothing" She told him before grabbing a piece of the Panini and digging in. She moaned as the flavor of the chipotle dressing hit her tongue, her eyes closing as the flavors exploded in her mouth and only when she opened her eyes and found Damon staring at her intently she was able to put down the food.

Her cheeks heated up under his stare and a very prominent blush had already covered half of her face, she cleared her throat and grabbed a sip of her beverage before her eyes darted to the papers he had been observing earlier "What you're working on?"

Damon's attention snapped away from her and went to the mess of documents on the table "Oh, sorry" He said as he hastily tried to arrange them so he could put them away.

Elena's hand on his arms stopped his movements "No, don't. Tell me about it"

His head went in her direction once again. The depth of his eyes making her shiver, there was something almost surreal in them, she often felt like the most precious thing in the world whenever that pair of eyes were strained on her.

For that brief second, Elena wondered idly, how she had been able to survive without seeing him for two whole years.

Unaware of where her thoughts had wandered Damon grabbed one of the folders that rested on the table and handed it to Elena. She opened and saw the design of a very posh house staring back at her.

"We're almost done with the model home" Damon explained as he gestured towards the design in her hands.

"Oh damn, that's beautiful Damon" She answered in awe as she observed the intricate but functional style the house sported. Damon had started working as an architect in a construction company that developed real state homes in high profile neighborhoods of the city, he was still pretty new about it but there was no one more eager or passionate for learning than him.

"Still needs some touches before we can show it, but I'm excited about it," He said, and Elena could immediately detect the traces of vulnerability in his words "This will be the first project that is mostly my own so…"

She placed the folder down and reached to grab his hand, "I'm so proud of you" His eyes seemed to sparkle in response and she felt a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through her stomach "Isn't it funny?" She asked "How life can sneak up on you"

His entire life he had dreamed of being a lawyer, until after the summer when they reunited and he chose to switch majors. Now he was happy doing something he didn't even know he loved and she was ready to be with him every step of the way.

Life wasn't at all like they once though when they were young and anything seemed possible, it was better, and they were loving every minute of it.

His eyes met hers for a brief second and she felt him, squeezing her hand back "It certainly is" They smiled at each other and time seemed to flow by as they reviewed his designs and shared bites of Panini.

They didn't know how long they had been in the coffee shop when their blonde friend arrived "Hello cuties" She said as an announcement at the same time she dropped herself in the seat in front of them and blew Elena a kiss accompanied by a cheeky wink.

Stefan leaned down to kiss Elena's cheek in greeting before playfully slapping Damon's shoulder, "I'll be back in a bit" He said before heading in direction of the counter so he could place his and Caroline's order.

"So, you'll never guess what I learned yesterday?" Carolina said eagerly as her eyes danced between Damon and Elena, excitement shining in her bright blue eyes.

Damon laughed under his breath at the blonde's hunger for gossip, "What did you learn Caroline?" He asked, deciding to indulge her in one of her favorite past times.

"Bonnie has a boyfriend" The blonde stated, though still an important part of their circle of friends, they didn't spend as much time with Bonnie as they would want to since she was the only one of them not living in the same state. "And you'll never guess who it is"

"Enzo?"

Caroline's mouth parted in shocking outrage as she stared at Elena who had stolen the premise from her "You knew?"

"I think it was somehow obvious"

The blonde released a defeated sigh "Bummer"

Damon laughed at the absurdity of the blonde girl and gave Elena a playful grin "You ruined her surprise" The brunette returned his grin and bumped his shoulder while giving him a mischievous grin.

"What are you guys talking about?" Stefan asked as he returned with two cups of cappuccino and a piece of strawberry cheesecake.

"Bonnie and Enzo"

The other Salvatore nodded as he placed the food on the table and took a seat next to his girlfriend "It was about time, those two have been dancing around each other for so long"

Elena snorted "I think he deserves better"

Caroline tried to stifle a laugh as Damon narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend "Be nice"

Despite being friendly enough towards each other, Elena and Bonnie would never be considered best friends. Though the brunette had forgotten about what she now referred to as 'the incident' a long time ago, some grudges were hard to let go, plus she was still positive the other girl still harbored some kind of feelings towards her boyfriend.

Elena shrugged in response at Damon's comment "I'm just giving an opinion, she was always so awful to him"

Damon made a disapproving noise before lowering his mouth towards Elena's ear "We all deserve a second chance, don't we? I know someone who was also awful to her current boyfriend"

She rolled her eyes before sticking out her tongue at him "Not playing fair"

He gifted her with a mischievous smirk "I never play fair, darling" He bumped his forehead with hers and placed a quick playful kiss to her nose.

Caroline groaned from across the table "You guys are so sickly sweet"

"Like you could talk" Damon answered and gestured towards Stefan, whose head was currently leading down against his girlfriend's shoulder.

Feeling self-conscious Stefan pulled away from Caroline, who shot Damon a glare "Now, you've embarrassed him" She said before taking Stefan's head and pulling him down for a kiss.

"Am I the only one who finds Steroline to be a bit too much?" Damon asked Elena in a low voice, she laughed at him and pinched his thigh in a reprimand.

"Don't be mean"

He raised both hands in a surrender gesture and took his attention back to the couple in front of them, whose lips were still touching "Cut it down now, please"

They pulled away and Damon had to stifle a laugh at his brother's crazy-eyed expression "You two are nauseating"

Stefan's smug smile was directed to Damon "You're just jealous"

"You wish"

Caroline rolled her eyes at their childish attitude and took her attention to her best friend "In other news, how is your lecture going?"

Elena looked down, she felt her cheeks coloring, like often happened whenever someone put her in the spotlight about what happened years ago. It was a sense of shame she was still fighting to overcome, she had come a long way since those days, but she couldn't pretend there was no more work to be done.

"It's pretty good I think, though I'm still a bit nervous" She confessed, her hands twisted a paper napkin absently as she spoke, "I fear my throat is going to close right there and I won't be able to say a thing"

Damon's hand went to hers and stopped her movements with the napkin, his strong fingers curled around hers and he gave her a gentle squeeze "You'll do great Len, I believe in you. We all do, and there's no doubt in my mind the lecture will be a success"

Some of the anxiety eased away with the sight of his encouraging smile, and as her eyes darted across the table to the equally reassuring faces of Stefan and Caroline, something inside her softened.

"Thank you," She told them, "You have no idea how much it means to me to have your support, after everything"

After her first year in college, Elena had decided she wanted to do something to stop other people like her to commit some of the mistakes she had made, so she had joined a non-profit organization that advocated against suicide and supported people suffering from mental illness.

After ten months being part of said group, she was about to give her first solo lecture to a group of high school kids, speaking about her personal experience with suicide and what said experience had shown her.

She was excited, and also terrified. Sometimes she still felt like everything that happened that summer was a dream, that the scars on her wrists weren't real, it was hard to believe that the pain and despair had blinded her so much as if to think the world would be a better place without her, that death was the answer to all of her problems.

She wanted to inspire and to help people but was terrified of her experience being diminished, of that shame filling her once again. Elijah was always telling her she was her own worst enemy, that the greatest battle of her life took place within herself and sometimes, the fear of losing that battle resurfaced, like the scars on her skin that would never fade away.

But on those days, she looked around the people who supported her, looked at the wide-eyed girl staring back at her in the mirror and to the angry welts that marred her skin and realized she was strong, stronger than she was back then and that life was worth living.

She wanted people to realize that.

That life was so very beautiful.

Caroline's smile met her from across the table, her clear blue eyes shining with emotion "We will always be here for you Len" She told her "And we are so proud of you"

Elena felt her throat clogging with emotion at her friend's words, the one who had never given up on her.

Stefan released a long sigh and stared her for a couple of seconds, "You were always the girl everyone looked up Elena" He told her, and for a brief moment she was taken back to Mystic Falls four years ago and to that wide-eyed scared boy Stefan used to be "And now? No, I admired you more than I ever did before"

She felt her eyes brimming with tears and she had to release a stifled laugh to keep them at bay "Now, you just want to make me cry" She joked.

Damon chuckled and pulled her to him in a sideway hug "We're just speaking from the heart" His lips found her cheek and he kissed it softly "Always from the heart"

She smiled sweetly at him and nestled into the safeness of his embrace, it would never cease to amaze her, the calm and peace being near Damon brought her. He had always been like a healing balm for her wounds, but now her need for him wasn't unhealthy, it was harmonious and natural like it was supposed to be.

"How do you feel about movie night?" Stefan asked, sensing Elena needed the chatter to stray from her "We could go to the cinema and have dinner afterwards"

Caroline shifted excitedly in her seat "Chinese in Damon's place!"

"You love my place blondie"

The girl snorted in annoyance, "You're the only one with a place of its own"

His lips widened in a grin as he looked down and Elena and staring at her with mischief "And thank God for that" She elbowed him in the ribs playfully as she muttered "Pig" Underneath her breath.

"I think it's a great idea Stefan" Caroline beamed at her boyfriend, "You always have the best ideas"

Damon released a loud laugh at this, "Now, that's not true" He said, "Remember that time you thought swimming in the lake at midnight was…"

Their words were low murmurs in the small café filled with dreamers, four friends who had suffered through the worst and the best lost themselves talking about memories of happy times and wishes for the ones still to come.

The chilly wind of New York moved the trees outside the window, the glare of the sun bathed the surfaces in a gold hue and Elena Gilbert felt lighter than ever before.

Damon smiled down at her before touching his nose to hers playfully and send a little prayer to whoever was up there for the second chance he had been given next to the girl who had turned his world upside down.

THE END