That's a wrap, folks!

A lot is going on in this chapter so be careful for any temporal indication. We pick up right where we left off.

Thank you for the amazing support this story has gotten. It's truly wonderful. I've received very nice comments and it was heart-warming. I'm pleased that you liked it so much, especially since it's not that easy for me to write in a language that is not my mother tongue.

I will definitely write more for The Vampire Diaries, but it might not be multi-chapters stories because I have a habit of losing inspiration rather quickly. Especially now that I'm overwhelmed with work.

Anyway, I'm not sure this ending will please all of you. To be honest I hesitated for a while to decide which way I should write it. I've opted for that way.

Don't forget to tell me what you think, one last time!

Thanks :)

Stefan's only thought is for Katherine. He can feel her trembling behind him. Her hands are on his back and he can tell that her fingernails have gripped his shirt tightly. Caroline finally speaks up:

"And what are you doing here, Klaus?"

"Well I figured that my hybrids could very well take care of my business in Italy, so I've decided to come back here. See, I missed you too much, love."

"If you don't mind, I was having a little party here with my friends."

"Stefan's my friend, too. And Tyler's my little hybrid, isn't he? And I'm sure the lovely Elena won't mind my being here. What's going on between you two, by the way?" He adds, looking at Stefan.

Of course Klaus would think that Katherine is Elena. The first Petrova double isn't even supposed to be here. That's their chance to get out of this messed-up situation.

"We've decided to try and work on our relationship."

"Oh, but this is fascinating," Klaus says as he closes the door behind him and makes his way into the living-room. "So even after everything she put you through, you're still willing to take her back?"

"That's none of your concern. Elena, let's go."

Katherine grips Stefan's hand and follows him as he walks towards the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline. Tyler."

"Bye," Caroline mutters.

To Stefan, it sounds like a real goodbye. And it probably is, at least for a while.

Stefan isn't pleased to leave Caroline and Tyler with Klaus but he has no other choice. His priority is Katherine. Once they're out of the house, they climb into his car and he drives as fast as he can back to their hotel room. Now is the time to leave.

"I know that we hadn't planned this, but we need to pack and leave tonight."

"I know," Katherine simply says as she follows him into the room.

It takes them less than fifteen minutes at full speed to throw their belongings into suitcases and bags and then carry them to the vehicle. As Katherine waits in the car, Stefan hurries to pay for the room and he joins her.

"Okay, I just need to tell Damon and then we're good to go."

"Can't you just give him a call?"

Stefan looks at her and shakes his head.

"No. He's my brother and he has to know."

"Okay, let's go."

Damon is sleeping on the couch and he reeks of alcohol. Stefan and Katherine burst through the door and he barely stirs.

"Damon! Damon, wake up!" Stefan implores as he shakes his brother's shoulders.

"Hmm… what is it, Stef?"

"Klaus is back in town. I'm leaving now—with Katherine."

The blue-eyed vampire opens an eye and tries to sit up but his elbows can't support him and he falls back to his previous position.

"Okay, bye."

"No, you don't understand. As long as Klaus will be here, I won't come back. We don't know how long he will stay in Mystic Falls, so that might be the last time I see you in a while."

"Just let me sleep, okay? I'm drunk."

"No, really?"

Stefan sighs and he gets up, giving up on trying talking to his brother. Katherine has been watching the exchange and she tugs at Stefan's hand.

"C'mon Stefan, you'll call him tomorrow."

After one last glance at his brother, Stefan agrees to follow Katherine to the door.

"Did you leave it open?"

"What?"

"The door, did you leave it open when we came in?"

"No," Katherine answers, confused.

The entrance door is wide opened in front of them.

"Someone's in here."

They stand still and try to listen to their surrounding but the only sound to reach their ears is the light snoring coming from Damon. Then Stefan picks up the scent. He knows this perfume. He's inhaled it plenty of times.

"Elena…"

"What?"

"Elena's here. Elena!" He calls out in hope to have an answer.

And the answer comes, but it's not exactly what Stefan expected.

"Stefan…"

Stefan and Katherine startle as they spin on their heels. Elena is standing right in front of them and there's blood on her shirt.

"What happened to you?"

"I…"

"I found her," a voice says behind them.

Katherine's blood freezes in her veins.

"Don't even think of running, Katerina, or you'll be dead before you leave the house."

Stefan turns to face Klaus for the second time in less than an hour.

"Klaus—"

"I have to admit, you had me fooled, Stefan. I did not think for a second that Katerina would be stupid enough to ever set foot back in Mystic Falls but it seems like I was wrong. And you, my friend, tried to deceive me. I'm disappointed."

"How did you—"

"Find out? Well, after I left Caroline's I thought I'd pay a little visit to Mr. Gilbert and guess who opened the door?"

Stefan gives Elena a quick glance and then he refocuses on the Original hybrid.

"Why is she hurt?"

"Well, I thought she was Katerina, of course. I had just seen you with whom I presumed to be Elena. Turns out I staked the wrong doppelganger. I hope it didn't hurt too much, darling," he adds as he looks at Elena.

She stares at him until he shrugs and turns his attention to Katherine. Her feet are glued to the ground, her legs unable to move. The only thing she can feel is Stefan's hand crushing hers. In the next room, Damon is still sound asleep, oblivious to the presence of the four vampires.

"But please, Stefan, update me. Obviously you're no longer dating little miss Gilbert over there, or maybe you're cheating on her. Which one is it, hmm?"

"It's complicated."

"I leave town for a few days and when I come back everything's changed? I can't believe that. Don't force me to compel it out of you, Stefan."

"Elena and I broke up. I left town. I ran into Katherine. We've spent time together."

"And you've rekindled your flame. How romantic. What does the lovely Elena think of all this?" Klaus asks mockingly.

"Elena has lost the right to judge me when she slept with my brother," Stefan answers right away.

"Stefan!"

"What? Am I wrong, did you not sleep with Damon?"

Elena remains silent and Klaus smirks.

"You know Stefan, it's too bad that you've found your true love in Katerina, because I doubt that she'll be living much longer."

"Klaus, don't. Don't hurt her. You've killed her family, you got your revenge hundreds of years ago. Let it go."

The hybrid chuckles and he places a hand on Stefan's shoulder. Katherine steps back.

"You, my friend, are really driven by love."

"And you're driven by hatred. It will get you nowhere."

"It got me where I am now. I'm the most powerful creature on Earth, I can do whatever I want."

"Look around you, Klaus. You're alone. You might be what you say you are, but you're alone. Your family hates you. You have no real friends."

"You were my friend once, Ripper," Klaus objects.

The smirk has vanished from his face, and there's anger burning in his eyes.

"Yes I was, back when I was a sadistic killer with no emotions. Not anymore. But I could learn not to hate you. If you let us go and if you promise to never go after Katherine. Maybe then I could think of being a little friendlier with you."

"And what exactly makes you think that you are in a position to make any demands?"

"I don't know. Tell me, why do you keep coming back here, hmm? What is it about Mystic Falls that you can't stay away even if you hate this town?"

For a fraction of second, Klaus seems thrown off-balance but he quickly regains his composure.

"I have an idea. I'll give you two a head start. You have an hour. Then I'll come after you, and it'd be better for Katerina if I don't find you."

Elena steps closer to Stefan and Katherine stares at her menacingly.

"Stefan, you can't leave."

He turns to look at her.

"Take care of Damon, please. Don't let him do anything stupid."

"But, wait! You can't leave just like that."

"Yes, I can and that's exactly what I'm doing."

Stefan doesn't wait for an answer and he grabs Katherine's hand. Together, they rush through the door and vanish into the night. Klaus smiles at Elena and he walks away, leaving the door open behind him. Damon still hasn't woken up.

"Do you think he'll ever find us?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think he's even looking for us?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

It's been almost two months since they've left Mystic Falls and they haven't even heard of Klaus. They're still in the country, in the area of San Diego. Katherine has spent many centuries running from Klaus and she's discovered quite a lot of places where she knows they will be safe. It's all that matters to her. Her Stefan is safe, and he hasn't run back to Mystic Falls yet, so everything's perfect to her. She isn't sure about Stefan, though.

"I'm sorry," she mutters.

"For what?"

"For bringing you into this mess. You're on the run because of me and that's not what I wanted for you."

Stefan smiles at her, and it warms her heart a little. He's just too handsome.

"I'm happy to be with you, Katherine. I don't care if we have to hide for the rest of our existence; as long as I'm by your side then I think I'll manage."

"Aren't you the cutest thing ever?"

"Oh, shut up," he answers with a laugh.

Sometimes, being with Katherine and saying such things makes him feel like a fool. Or like a poet. But he can't stop himself.

"It's just… I've done everything in my power to make sure that Klaus wouldn't hurt you; that's the reason I left you in 1864 and now…"

"Katherine, I said it's okay. Klaus is not going to find us. And I wouldn't let him hurt you anyway."

Katherine is tempted to say that Stefan could not do much against Klaus, but she keeps her mouth shut. Stefan knows that already, he's just saying it to reassure her. For now, it's enough and she wants to believe him. She takes a sip from her drink and rises from her seat.

"I wanna dance. Come on."

Stefan doesn't resist when she takes his hand to lead him on the dance floor.

Klaus do not find them. They find Klaus. Or rather, they find his body, desiccated. Stefan and Katherine are in Florida when he receives a call from Damon; the first call after a whole year of silence. Damon tells him that Bonnie is on the loose, crazy with dark magic because of creepy professor Shane. But before she went nuts—according to his words—she managed to find a spell powerful enough to stop the Original Hybrid. He also announces that Elijah has come back to claim Rebekah's body and they made him promise to never set foot in Mystic Falls again. They haven't heard from Kol.

And suddenly, it's okay for them to come back. They're just not sure they want to.

Caroline comes to find them on a bright and sunny afternoon of June, in Houston. Stefan and Katherine are taking a walk in a public park, and suddenly she's there, in front of them. She knocks the wind out of Stefan as she pulls him into a bone-crushing hug. Then she hugs Katherine just as hard.

"Oh, I've missed you so, so much! You can't imagine how terrible it's been without you!"

"Sorry, I guess we suck at keeping in touch."

"That you do. You must have so many things to tell me!"

"Is that a ring on your finger?" Katherine asks in a bored tone that makes Stefan smile because he knows she's thrilled inside.

"Yes, isn't it beautiful?" Caroline beams at them.

"Wait—You're engaged?"

"Yes!" The blonde vampire squeals.

"Congratulations!"

And they're hugging again, and laughing. It feels great to be reunited.

Caroline stays with them for two whole weeks before she has to go back to Tyler. But she makes them swear to be at her wedding in September. Stefan and Katherine are quick to agree. They wouldn't miss it for anything in the world.

They spend their last night together on the beach in Santa Barbara. There are a few bottles of alcohol between them, pretty much empty. The waves are crashing not far from where they're lying. Katherine's head is resting on Stefan's chest and her eyes are closed. She can't remember the last time she's felt this peaceful.

"Do you remember the last time we were on a beach together?"

"Seems like a lifetime ago."

She nods in agreement. Stefan's arm closes around her waist and brings her closer to him.

"I feel good."

"Me, too."

His fingers tease the skin under the hem of her shirt, and Katherine shivers. Stefan has an incredible effect on her body. She kisses him under his chin, then along his jawline until she reaches his ear.

"I want you," she whispers.

It drives Stefan crazy every time. He's on top of her in a heartbeat.

"All you have to do is ask, Miss Pierce."

She smiles at him and kisses his lips gently.

"I'm asking now."

This is going to be one hell of a night.

So, I know I didn't talk about what happened to Elena, Damon, etc. That's because this story wasn't about them, but about Stefan, and Katherine. Caroline has played quite an important role though, because she's Stefan's best friend.

Also, you might have been surprised that it was Damon's first call to Stefan in a year, but I wrote this on purpose. Both brothers needed this break.

I hope you enjoyed reading this last chapter!

Reviews are awesome as usual!

OTH-FOQ