So this is very very short, I apologize. But I've caught a terrible cold(hence the probable grammar mistakes) and tomorrow I'm going on a short trip which would have meant even a longer wait for this... and I think since the first chapter itself was about this short as well that this story therefore has come to a full circle. :)

Two years later

On the dawn of Sebastian's 18th birthday, two people were standing below an old willow which was swaying gently in the wind. The sun was just about to rise, colouring the world in hues of yellow and orange, illuminating the hundreds of headstones meant to be the last landmarks of souls gone from this world.

They watched as the bright red orb creeped upwards so painfully slowly that patience at that moment was truly a virtue. At last the rays began to warm the earth, and a hazy mist arose from the ground, filling the air with smells of water, grass, dirt and flowers.

Small little white buds began to open up in the grass, dotting the ground with white speckles.

How odd is they persistence to grow in such a place, Elena thought as she stood next to her son.

"Mom?" Sebastian asked solemnly.

"Yeah?"

"What'd you think dad would say if he saw us standing here like this?" he asked, twirling a ring on his finger, a habit he had acquired two years ago.

Elena thought about it a little. What would Stefan say if he saw them standing next to his grave just like that, watching a new day begin. She could picture his eyes, being even a lighter shade of green in the rising light, a lopsided smile on his face and saying – Why are you here? Why aren't you out there, living?

"I think Stefan would tell us to go home," Elena smiled lightly, "But he would also understand why we're here."

Sebastian said nothing, because at that moment silence spoke more than a thousand and a thousand more words could.

Sebastian, even though he didn't know his father, felt like Stefan was never a stranger to him and that somehow he always had been watching over him. Ever since that long night with his mother and finding out about their story, he felt more at peace with himself and with his family.

There were no secrets anymore, no more forced and awkward conversations about Stefan, because that night had given Elena a good amount of freedom. Not in the physical kind, but more psychological, because she finally was able to accept absolutely everything that had happened in her life.

Elena had realized that Stefan Salvatore had been the adventure of her lifetime, and even though she knew that history wouldn't repeat itself, she was happy, because when she had been with Stefan she had truly lived. She knew what it meant to love someone with her whole heart and soul and she knew what it felt like to be loved like that as well – it had been the great gift Stefan had given her.

And their son – Sebastian – the spitting image of his father was always a reminder for Elena that life never truly ends. It always goes on and it is your own choice how you choose to live it.

Elena had chosen to live, because that was what Stefan had taught her and even if words had been unspoken, Elena had told herself that she would never broke that promise she had made to Stefan, to herself.

So, it was time for her to spread her broken wings and learn how to fly again.

I want to thank each and everyone of you who took the time to leave a review, that meant a lot for me! Also a big big thank you for everyone who followed/favourited this story, love you guys! :)

On another note: I'd like to say that I think that this story HAD potential, but I kinda screwed it up, I think with the right writer it would have been... I don't know, much much better? (more character development, other characters would have had a bigger role etc.) I don't know if my own laziness or inability to write is to blame here, haha, but this is how this story turned up, so yeah...