| STEFAN'S POV |

Lonely is the moment when the one person you want to be close to is nowhere to be found. What hurts the most is the fact that I know where she is and most importantly, who she's with. The wound is still fresh. The wound caused by her flinging her arms around his neck when she finally woke as a human once again. Seeing them share an embrace caused my world to come crashing down. Though I was prepared for it, it still hurt like hell seeing her choose him in the end. Someone once told me, there are only two outcomes when you enter a relationship. Either you break up, or get married. You know you have to say goodbye when the person that once made you laugh now makes you cry. In order for me to cross the finish line, I must leave my teammate behind.

All my bags are packed. The room that once held all the memories worth holding onto, is now empty. All the pictures, paintings and decorations have been stripped away. My fingers curl against the handle of my suitcase as my eyes roam the room. I'm allowing myself to remember all the night's me and Elena spent together in this room, because once I step out of this room-of this house, I won't allow myself to think about Elena anymore.

Damon's not home. He's at the hospital with Elena alongside Caroline and Bonnie. Caroline's been keeping me up to date with Elena's process. She knows why I'm not beside Elena, holding her hand. Caroline and I talked briefly after Elena had taken the cure. By the look in her eyes as she walked towards me, I knew she had a pretty good idea of what my next move was to be. She simply sat beside me and we sat in silence listening to Elena's joyful sobs.

I take a deep breath before slowly walking out of the room and finally out of the boarding house. I throw my bags in the backseat of my car and lean against the cold metal door and wait for Caroline's arrival. She's the only one who knows of my departure and insisted that I say goodbye. I will always treasure the friendship I have formed with Caroline. After Lexi's death, I truly felt as though I had nobody to talk to. There were certain things I could not speak to Elena about, mainly because I was ashamed of what I had to say. I couldn't confide in Elena my craving for blood-for her blood, or that everyday I'm close to losing control and becoming the ripper. I was ashamed. I'm still ashamed.

Fifteen minutes later I see Caroline's car parking next to mind. A tearful Caroline stepping out of the vehicle, her arms flinging themselves around me capturing me in a tight embrace. A chuckle escapes my lips as I quickly return the gesture. "I can't believe you're really leaving." She says, burying her face in the crook of my neck. I react to her words by wrapping my arms around her a little tighter before releasing her. "You know I have to, Care." I reply, stuffing my hands in my front pockets before continuing. "I can't stay here and watch them together. I just can't." I conclude. I watch as she nods her head understandingly.

"Where are you going?" She asks before leaning against the passengers door.

"Italy." I reply.

"I'm really going to miss you, Stefan." Caroline says, her gaze dropping to her feet. "First Tyler leaves and now you."

My heart breaks for Caroline as I watch a tear slide down her cheek. "Hey.." My voice is soft as I cup her cheeks. "I promise I'll keep in contact." My thumb gently wipes her tears as I speak. "You can always visit me."

A small smile grazes Caroline's features. "You bet!." And just like that she's back to the happy and energetic Caroline that I love.

I chuckle lightly before reaching for the envelope inside my back pocket. "I need you to do me a favor." A sigh escapes my lips as my eyes lock on the white envelope with Elena's name written in my handwriting. "I'd give it to her myself but I don't have the guts to do it." I confess as I slowly hand over the envelope.

Caroline stares at it for a couple of seconds before taking it into her own hands. "I'll make sure she receives and reads it." She reassures me.

I take in a deep breath before nodding my head. I can't believe everything is finally a reality. I'd never thought I'd leave Mystic Falls so soon. But then again, I didn't think I'd leave without Elena. I thought me and Elena would travel the world together and I'd finally be happy once and for all. But things don't tend to usually to go my way.

"So, I guess this is it.." I finally say before locking eyes with a teary eyed Caroline. "Hey! No crying." I don't want our goodbye to be a tearful one.

I smile at her before hugging her once more. This time I allow our embrace to last longer than the previous because I know we won't be seeing each other for a while. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do without Caroline. "I'm gonna miss you, Care." I whisper in her ear. She responds by wrapping her arms tighter around me.

"You better text, call and email me every day. Do you understand me, Salvatore?" She says as she slowly backs away from our embrace.

A smile tugs on my lips as I slowly nod my head. "You know I will." And with that I know we have finally said out goodbyes.

With a sigh, I slowly start walking towards the driver's door. "Say goodbye to everyone for me, will you?" Though I haven't been the most interactive person since I've returned to Mystic Falls, I still value the friendships I've built with Bonnie and Matt. It saddens me to know they're the only two alive out of a very large group of people I consider my family.

Caroline nods her head before quickly wiping a tear before I'd notice it. I noticed.

Without wasting another second, I opened the driver's door and slipped inside. Before I even allowed myself to think of reasons why I should stay, I inserted the key in the ignition and set the car in drive. I took a quick peak at Caroline before pressing my foot in the accelerator and drove away.

| CAROLINE'S POV |

I'm standing in the same spot I stood when I watched Stefan drive away hoping he will change his mind and decide to stay. Unfortunately I was greeted with disappointment when he didn't. I can't believe he actually did it. I thought he would fight for Elena, I thought he would never give up. But the truth is Stefan shouldn't have to be fighting for Elena's love with his brother as his opponent. It's a sick game and Stefan's done playing it.

My fingers curl around the envelope Stefan gave me and I begin to question whether I should give it to Elena or not. Stefan shouldn't have to apologize for anything. Elena doesn't deserve a goodbye after all she has put him through. But, I promised Stefan I would give Elena the envelope. I hit the envelope against my left palm a couple times before walking towards my car and taking a seat on the drivers seat. I begin to wonder how Elena will react when she reads the letter. I quickly grow tempted to open the envelope and read whatever Stefan had written to Elena. I quickly shake the thought out of my head and start the car.

After twenty excruciating minutes of driving and constant glances towards the letter resting on my lap, I finally arrive at the hospital. I waste no time to get out of my care and enter the hospital. I'm instantly greeted by the smell of death I despise. With the envelope in hand, I walk towards the room Elena's staying. As I draw closer to the room my nerves start going wild. How will I tell Elena Stefan left Mystic Falls? Do I just hand her the letter and let her figure it out by herself? Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good idea.

When I make a left turn I'm greeted by none other than Damon Salvatore. The sight of him makes me sick to my stomach. I still can't comprehend how Elena would ever choose that disgusting piece of trash over sweet, generous, extremely attractive, Stefan. When he finally notices me that arrogant smirk of his quickly tugs on his lips. The urge to slap him gets stronger by the minute.

"Blondie, what do you want?" He asks blocking her from entering the room Elena's staying in.

I instantly roll my eyes at his idiotic question. "I'm here to visit my best friend you idiot." I snap at him. I'm not in the mood to deal with Damon. Wait, I'm never in the mood to deal with Damon. I wish he would just drop out of the face of the earth.

He mirrors my gesture and also rolls his eyes. He glares at me for a second before stepping out of the way. He stops at his tracks when he notices the envelope in my hands and my body instantly stiffens.

"What's that?" He asks with curiosity.

Fortunately I gather my composer and wave him off. "None of your business, Salvatore."

I enter the room before he could say or worse yank the envelope out of my hands and read the letter Stefan wrote to Elena. The only person who's going to read that letter is Elena. I might steal a peak because my curiosity is killing me.

| ELENA'S POV |

I'm laying in this extrememly uncomfortable hospital bed with only one question on my mind.

Where is Stefan?

Damon, Bonnie, Matt and Caroline have all stopped by and checked up on me, all except Stefan. I've asked Caroline if she knew where he was but she just shrugged her shoulders and remained silent. Something's up, I know it.

I haven't seen Stefan since I woke up after taking the cure. I still can't believe I'm human again. When I became a vampire I forgot all about my wishes to grow old and have children. Now, my wishes are able to become a reality if I want them to.

Anyway, back to Stefan. When I finally woke up, the first person I saw was Damon. Feeling overwhelmed at the sound of my heart beating, he wrapped his arms around me and I returned the gesture. Once we finally pulled away, Bonnie was the second to wrap her arms around me and cry on my shoulder. It was Caroline's turn next. Stefan was nowhere in sight.

All I wanted was to wrap my arms around him and kiss him. Because after all the shit I'v put him through he never gave up on me. He didn't stop until he got me the cure and give me the chance to be human again.

I hear the door of my hospital room open and my thoughts are interrupted. A smile instantly appears on my lips at the sight of Carolone but quickly vanished when I noticed her facial expression. I frown as she walks closer to me.

"I'm sorry, Elena." That's all she says as she slowly hands me white envelope with writing in the center. I quickly realize that it's Stefan's handwriting and my name is what's written on the envelope.

My heartbeat starts beating fast and it feels strange. My hands are shaky as I take the envelope from Caroline. I hesitate to open, scared of what I may find inside.

"Open it, Elena." I barely hear Caroline's voice because of the pounding of my heart. I swallow before opening the envelope. It's a letter.

I glance at Caroline and notice that she has her head down and my nerves go on overload. With my shaky fingers, I slowly unfold the piece of paper and begin to read.

My dearest Elena,

Do you remember when we first met? The sight of you was interrupted by my uncontrollable blinks. I melted in your brown doe eyes, my ability to speak vanished as well as my heart. I handed it over in a small container, praying you would keep it safe from danger. A task I fully committed myself to when you gave me yours to protect. The nights we have shared are imprinted in my mind. The melodic sounds of your heart beat served as my precious lullaby.

Instead of moving on I'm holding on to these moments we have shared. Moments when we were at our best. I find myself clinging and reaching out to those memories because they are all that I have left. The truth is, I am struggling to hold the pages of our fairy tale together. I wonder if my desire to care will make you care. I hope that my love is strong enough to make you love me back. I sit here praying that when my tears land on your shoulders, they will permeate your skin and travel through your body until they reach their destination, your heart. And maybe-just maybe they will soften your heart and will remind you of what you once felt for me.

Everyone has a different definition of love. I believe that true love is when you find yourself with that one person you aren't afraid to lose yourself with. I love you with all the good inside me. I will forever dwell within the depths of your heart having no desire to go anywhere else. You are my save haven.

Now I'm turning my back to all the memories and words spoken, even though every part of me wants to stay by your side. My journey forward will require me to never look back. I will reminisce our playful interactions through the memories I have saved and we'll laugh together once again through closed eyes and silence. Just because I took the initiative does not mean that I do not love you. You own me, of that I am sure. However, I've seen the distance in your eyes when you stare upon mine. If what they say is true and your eyes are really the windows to your soul, I'm saddened by what I see. I will always treasure what we once had, but I know this is the right time to say goodbye.

Love always,

Stefan