Always Getting Over You:

Graduation:

Bon Jovi played loudly over the speakers in the parlour of the Salvatore Boarding house as I danced happily alongside Lexi and Stefan relaxed on the couch as he drank bourbon straight from the bottle while watching us. The three of us had spent the night catching up with each other and having fun before the veil to the Otherside went back up.

"Damon! Help me celebrate my 17th high school graduation." Stefan cheered happily as the elder Salvatore brother entered the room and walked over to the stereo to turn off the music as I pouted at him. "Hey, you remember my friend, Lexi, of course?"

"Lexi, back from the dead. Goody." Damon greeted her drily with a tight smile on his face as I skipped over to the couch and I sat down next to Stefan as Lexi used her vampire speed to pin Damon against the wall.

"What's up, buzzkill?" Lexi asked cheerfully with a grin as she cocked her head to the side and Damon looked over at the two of us on the couch as he grimaced.

"Stefan, you're just gonna sit there and let her enact her ghostly revenge?"

"You reap what you sow, buddy." Stefan responded casually with a shrug of his shoulders as I stole the bottle from his hand and he grinned at me as I took a gulp of the burning liquid.

"Let's be very clear: whatever time I have left here, I sure as hell don't plan on wasting on you. You got me?" Lexi asked pointedly as she tightened her hold on his throat and I smirked in pride as Damon struggled to breath under the pressure.

"Yeah. Got ya." Damon gasped out in a raspy voice as he tried to pry her hands off of him and she glanced back at me with a raised eyebrow before releasing his hold on him. he gasped slightly as he fell to the floor but quickly straightened himself out with an indignant expression and he cleared his throat as he shot Lexi an annoyed look before turning back to us. "So if you and Ric and little Gilbert are all flesh-like and real-seeming, that means something went horribly wrong when Bonnie tried to put that veil up. And here you three are, having dance party USA."

"You're right. How selfish of me to be indulging in these precious moments with my formerly dead best friend, and Rhea's daughter/sister/friend/protégé. I should be sacrificing my own happiness for the good of others, right? I should be upstairs grooming my hero-hair." Stefan sassed him calmly as he waved a hand dismissively with a purse of his lips and I giggled in amusement as I took another gulp of the bottle in my hand.

"Are you drunk?"

"I don't know, Mom, am I?"

"Are you really the best person to be lecturing us on copious alcohol consumption?" I asked him mockingly with a quirked eyebrow as I tilted my head to the side and Damon scowled at me as he roughly snatched the bottle from my hand. "Thus proving my point."

"Well, I guess that's one way to celebrate our supernatural apocalypse." Damon countered sarcastically as he took a swig from the bottle and I smiled back at him tightly as I leaned my head on Stefan's shoulder. "Now, care to hazard any guesses on what the hell went wrong?"

"If it will calm you down, you big baby, I'll call Bonnie and see if she knows what went wrong with the spell."

"Sorry if I'm marginally concerned about the catastrophic day of reckoning that seems to be upon us."

"You're such a drama queen." I muttered under my breath as I stood up from the couch and ignored his glare as I walked out of the room while reaching for my phone. I dialled Bonnie's number as I let out a tired sigh and held the phone up to my ear as I walked into the parlour on the other side of the house.

"Hello?" Bonnie said through the phone line in a wary tone of voice and I sat down on one of the armchairs as I kicked my legs up on the coffee table.

"Something you'd like to share with the class, Bonnie dear?" I asked her in cheerful voice as a smile played on the edge of my lips and I heard her sharp intake of breath on the other side of the line.

"Rhea! Hey. Um, I hit kind of a snag."

"A snag? A snag is a bad yearbook picture. A snag is pressing snooze twice and then running late. You hit a tsunami. Where are you?"

"I'm trying to fix it, but I'm running into some trouble. I need to wait until the full moon tonight to have enough power to put the veil back up." she informed me patiently as though I was a small child throwing a tantrum and I rolled my eyes as I shifted slightly in my seat with a frown on my lips.

"Are you telling me that we might graduate right smack in the middle of a ghost-filled Expression Triangle? And don't even think of suggesting we cancel! I can just imagine what Caroline would say, 'Graduation is the most important event of our lives, the last ceremony of our youth. It is our rite of passage!'" I exclaimed in a high-pitched cheery voice that sounded alarmingly like Caroline and Bonnie chuckled in amusement through the phone line as I smirked proudly to myself. "I don't want to be subjected to her wrath so hell will freeze over before I let anyone cancel graduation."

"Can you not make jokes about hell freezing over? We're not that far off from that already."

"Just promise me that you'll be there today?"

"Okay, I promise. I love you." Bonnie told me softly as I almost dropped the phone in shock because she had never said that to me before and I was sure that my mouth had dropped open as I quickly composed myself.

"I love you, too." I replied honestly with a small nod that she couldn't see as tears filled my eyes and I blinked them away as I hung up the phone with a smile. I cleared my throat gently as I wiped a tear from my cheek and I stood up from the chair as I tucked my phone back into my pocket. I walked back into the living room just into time to see a blonde man standing in front of Damon with a gun in his hand and raven-haired vampire on his knees as he pulled a bullet out of his shoulder.

"No, but you left me in that well on that island, where I starved to death. There I was, all alone on the Other Side, till Qetsiyah found me and reminded me of my supernatural destiny – to cure Silas, and then kill Silas. End of story– "the blonde man said as I rushed up behind him with my Original vampire speed and reached into his chest from behind as I pulled his heart out of his body. The man gagged slightly as he collapsed onto the floor and I looked at the bloody heart in my hand before raising my eyebrow at the gaping Damon.

"Friend of yours?"

"Uh, we keep in touch." Damon muttered sarcastically as he climbed to his feet with a grunt and I hummed in acknowledgement as I dropped the heart next to the body. I stepped over the corpse carefully as Damon made his way over to me and he looked down at the dead body with a grimace. "That's Vaughn, the hunter your psychotic sister and I left to die on the island. Apparently, he took offence to that."

"I've got to say, I'm kind of happy that I can say 'I've killed a ghost'. I'm like a Ghostbuster!" I exclaimed happily as I grabbed his arm tightly with a grin and he rolled his electric blue eyes at me as a genuine smile played on the edge of his lips. The front door opened suddenly to reveal Stefan standing the other side and he gaped at the corpse on the ground for a second before looking up at us with a confused frown.

"We had a bit of a problem…" the elder Salvatore trailed off with a grimace as he glanced down at the body and I shrugged helplessly as my boyfriend looked over at me with a questioning expression.

"Okay… Well, you might want change into a new shirt, and you, Rhea, might want to clean the blood off of your hand." Stefan stated calmly as he pointed at my bloodied hand and I hummed in agreement as I glanced down at the scarlet coloured extremity.

"Right. I'll be back." I told them brightly with a smile as I wriggled my blood coated fingers in goodbye and practically skipped upstairs to the bathroom connected to Stefan's bedroom. The warm water drenched my hands making the clear water turn faintly red as it disappeared down the drown. I quickly ran back downstairs into the parlour where Stefan was pouring three glasses of blood and Lexi was crouched down near Vaughn's dead body with her head tilted to the side.

"So, the veil's down until tonight, he dies and goes to the Other Side, and what? Comes back all over again? How long does that take?" Lexi asked curiously as she pursed her lips together and I strolled into the room with a smile as Stefan held out one of the glasses towards me.

"What, they don't give you a rulebook over there?" my boyfriend teased her with a smirk as I accepted the glass gratefully and then sat down on the arm of one of the armchairs by the fireplace. Lexi chuckled slightly as she stood up from her crouch and took the offered glass off of Stefan as he sat down on the chair I was sitting on.

"You know, you two are missing your chance to weigh in on the Great Elena Gilbert Cure Debate."

"What am I supposed to do, tell her it's her choice? Because that worked out so well. I felt guilty for not saving her when Rebekah ran Matt's truck off of the bridge because I knew she never wanted this life, but now that I've given her the option, I'm out."

"You know, it's funny, those two are in there arguing about how to protect the world, and they have yet to address their biggest issue." I pondered out loud as I sipped my blood leisurely with a small smirk and they both looked at me with questioning looks as I leaned back slightly.

"Enlighten me." Lexi said lightly as she held her hands out to silent ask me to carry on but I just quirked an eyebrow as I sipped some more of my drink.

"The sire bond's gone. Elena's emotions are back. She finally knows exactly how she feels." Stefan concluded in realisation as he looked between me and our shared best friend with a look of comprehension.

"And what if whatever she feels is for you?" Lexi asked him quietly in a soft voice as she tilted her head to the side curiously and I stiffened slightly as my hand instinctively went to touch Stefan's shoulder to remind myself that he was next to me.

"Maybe we'll move to Australia. We can live in a yurt." I answered for him in a teasing tone so that they wouldn't hear the hidden anxiety and they both laughed in amusement as Stefan slipped his hand on to my thigh before giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. A loud gasp echoed through the room as Vaughn sat up with wide eyes and we all looked over at him in surprise as he shakily climbed to his feet. I heard footsteps approaching from the stairs as Damon entered the room and Vaughn frowned at him as the raven haired vampire tossed something at him.

"Here." Damon said emotionlessly as Vaughn caught the small vial I now recognised as the cure and I stood up from the arm of the chair as I frowned in confusion.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Digging up Silas. You coming, Vaughn, or not?" he asked as he started walking towards the front door and Vaughn followed after him as Elena arrived at the bottom of the stairs. I grimaced slightly as I watched her storm into the parlour they were sitting in and Stefan sighed as she started pacing the length of the room with a frown.

"We have to do something. If those hunters give the cure to Silas–" Elena started in frustration as she ran a hand through her brunette hair and I rolled my eyes slightly as I shared an annoyed look with Lexi.

"They're not giving it to Silas. Wherever Damon is taking Vaughn right now, it's to stall, because Damon hasn't had time to bury Silas' body yet." Stefan informed her pointedly as he stood up from the armchair and Elena stopped pacing to look at him incredulously as she crossed her arms. "And that's all you need to know right now."

"Okay, fine. We're stalling the hunters, but Damon is still dying."

"It was one bullet, and it was only laced. We still have a little bit of time. I will go to Vienna myself and I will beg Klaus if I have to."

"That's unnecessary. All my brothers are supposed to be coming home for graduation." I told them flippantly as I waved a hand dismissively in the air and Lexi's head snapped over to look at me with wide eyes as she bit her lower lip.

"All your brothers?" she asked me in a hopeful whisper as she leaned forward slightly and my lips quirked up in a small smile as I gave her a quick nod.

"All of them."

"Then it's settled. You're going to your graduation." Jeremy announced loudly from the doorway as he entered the room carrying a red cap and gown in his hands. We all turned to face him in surprise as he held them out to his sister with a small smile and I silently slapped my forehead with my palm for forgetting about graduation for a second.

"Gradua– no, Jer, I never even sent in my college applications." Elena replied despondently as she shook her head at him with a frown and he just raised an eyebrow at her as he further held out the material.

"I don't care. Mom and Dad would kill you if there wasn't a photo of you in your graduation getup."

"Jer, no. Not if you can't be there."

"Lexi'll keep me company. You're going." Jeremy ordered sternly as he physically pushed the gown into her hands and she broke out into a grin as she finally relented to his insisting with a small nod. Elena gripped the material tightly in her hands as he smiled at her and then she spun around to face us with a determined glint in her dark brown eyes.

"Let's go graduate." She exclaimed happily as she looked directly at me with a grin and I smiled back at her brightly as I stood up from the armchair with a clap of my hands.

I bounced on my toes as wrung my hands in front of myself and continued to look around the football field at the high school crowded with students in their caps and gowns and smiled gently at Caroline and Bonnie when they glanced over at me. I was getting excited for my first graduation ceremony but also slightly anxious because Rebekah wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Klaus, now is not the time to decide that you are over me. I'm gonna call you every 10 minutes until you get your ass here to save Damon's life." Caroline exclaimed into her phone in exasperation as she pulled at her hair slightly and I offered her a sympathetic smile because as I was also worried about Damon. She hung up the phone as she huffed out a breath and turned around to look at all of us gathered with a frown. I could tell by the way her blue eyes narrowed that she was mentally counting to make sure we were all present. "Where is everyone?"

"I'm here." I heard Matt announce from behind me as he tried to catch his breath and I immediately turned around expecting to see Rebekah with him but he was alone.

"Where have you been?"

"Oh, you know, making plans for the summer, dodging death by vampire hunter."

"Matt, where's Rebekah?" I asked him in a worried tone of voice as I stepped toward him with a frown and he turned to look at me with a sympathetic look in his eyes as he tilted his head to the side.

"Rhea, something happened at the Grill. One of the ghosts that appeared was some guy named Alexander." He explained to me sadly as he walked towards me and I audibly gasped in shock as I stared at him in horror. "He planted a pressure plate bomb and I was standing on it nearly all day but then Rebekah switched our places so that I could be here. She said she would be fine. Asked me to tell you she loves you."

"Right. Okay. Thanks, Matt." I whispered absently as I directed my gaze to the ground and wandered away from the forming group of friends.

"Where's Elena? We can't do this without her." Bonnie asked anxiously from a few metres away from me as I leaned against the metal grandstand and I bit my lower lip nervously as I tried not to think about what Rebekah was going through right now.

"I'm here." Elena announced as she ran over to join her friends with a grin on her lips and Stefan followed after her with a hardhearted smile as Caroline practically preened happily.

"I can't believe it. We're actually all here. We are all here together! Bonnie Bennett, are you crying?" Caroline asked in shock as stared at her friend with a large grin and the young witch shook her head in denial as she wiped her cheeks with a weak chuckle.

"It's our last hurrah before you guys go off to college." Bonnie defended herself with a watery chuckle as she pushed Caroline's shoulder and the blonde laughed as she wrapped an arm around the witch's shoulders.

"Before we go off to college."

"I... kinda sorta missed the deadline. You know, being an emotionless bitch." Elena admitted sheepishly as she shrugged with a guilty smile and I had to look away from the group as I sense of longing hit me. Even though I had been in Mystic Falls for a year and I was friends with each of them individually, I wasn't a part of their group.

"Well, the perks of being a vampire – we can go wherever we wanna go. We can choose our own roommates. We could – we could get a triple room!" Caroline gushed with enthusiasm as she clapped her hands in front of her with a grin and everyone chuckled at her as she glanced at them before holding her arms out wide. "Aw – group hug!

"Ah, I don't – I don't hug..." Stefan muttered half-heartedly with a shake of his head and Caroline rolled her blue eye at him as she pouted prettily.

"Oh, get over yourself! Rhea, come make your boyfriend join in!"

"Yeah, come on, Rhea!" Bonnie urged me as she sent a blindly smile in my direction and I tried to hide my startled expression as Elena and Matt gestured for me to join them as well. A grin broke out across my lips as I strolled over to the group and we all embraced in a joint hug as we all laughed in delight. The microphone screeched up on stage and we all hurried to line up alphabetically at the base of the steps. Mayor Hopkins stood at the podium in the middle of the stage and I bounced on the balls of my feet anxiously as he smiled at the crowd sitting in front of him.

"Welcome parents, family, and friends. What a beautiful day for a graduation. Thank you for joining us today on this special day, as we celebrate our graduates. So let's get started. John Albrecht. David Bance. Sarah Beasley. Um, not to play favourites, but I am especially proud of this next graduate, my lovely daughter: Bonnie Bennett!" Mayor Hopkins said cheerfully as Bonnie practically skipped up onto the stage and accepted her diploma from her father with a grin. I faded out in boredom as some more students walked up on the stage and accepted their diplomas as I bit my lower lip nervously.

"Savannah Davis. Matt Donovan. William Duncan. Caroline Forbes. Congratulations." Mayor Hopkins announced happily as the blonde vampire bounced onto the stage to accept her diploma and I clapped wildly as I cheered for my best friend.

"Matt Freeman. Elena Gilbert. Congratulations." Mayor Hopkins said as the doppelgänger walked onto the stage with a bashful smile on her lips and I clapped for her as she accepted her diploma before strolling off.

"Olivia Hanson. Nathan James. Rheanna Mikaelson." Mayor Hopkins announced as I broke out in a grin and I bounced up onto the stage as people clapped politely in their seats. Over the clapping I could hear Caroline, Elena, Bonnie and Stefan hollering wildly and I scrunched nose up slightly in embarrassment as I accepted the diploma from the mayor.

"Whoo!" a familiar voice called out from the back of the crowd and I snapped my head around to see Kol standing on one of the seats with his hands clapped around his mouth. Elijah was standing next to him clapping proudly with a slight smile on his lips and I ducked my head slightly with a grin as I offered them a small wave before walking off the stage. Caroline tackled me into a tight embrace as soon as I stepped off the stage and I giggled happily as I returned the hug just as enthusiastically. We stayed with our arms wrapped around each other as we watched the rest of the students graduate, shouting loudly when Stefan accepted his diploma and adding him to our embrace when he descended the steps to the stage. The ceremony ended when we all threw our graduation caps in the air while laughing and Stefan pulled me into a deep kiss as everyone around us cheered loudly. I didn't even notice that everyone other than our small group of friends had disappeared from the field because I was so captivated by my boyfriend's passionate embrace.

"Congratulations." Stefan murmured against my lips as he pulled away slightly and I nipped his lower lip playfully as I leaned my forehead against his. "How does it feel to finally graduate high school?"

"Like I finally accomplished something meaningful." I told him sincerely with a small smile on my lips as I played with his shirt collar and he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear as I grinned up at him.

"I'm proud of you, Rheanna."

"Thank you." I whispered seriously as tears filled my eyes because I couldn't remember the last time someone spoke those words to me and it felt amazing to me, like warmth surrounding my heart. Something in Stefan's forest green eyes told me that he knew exactly what those meant to me and he meant every word that he spoke. I brushed my lips over his but his phone started ringing before I could go any further and he groaned in the back of his throat as he pulled his cell phone from his back pocket.

"Hello?" Stefan asked impatiently as he answered the phone and I laid my chin on his shoulder as I looked up at his handsome face curiously.

"Listen, Vaughn figured out we were playing him, shot Damon twice more with werewolf venom laced bullets so I snapped his neck and tossed him in the quarry. I would love nothing more than to get out of here before Vaughn comes back to life, but Damon won't take the cure. He wants it for Elena." Alaric stated through the phone line in a rush as Stefan's expression dropped and I immediately reached for my cell phone so that I could call my brother again.

"Okay, just hang on a little longer. Caroline and Rhea each taking turns calling Klaus again." my boyfriend informed the ex-hunter turned Original vampire as Caroline shook her head slightly at his silent question and I pressed speed dial four on my phone.

"Stefan, we are past the point of Hail Mary phone calls. What do you want me to do, stand here and watch him die, or force-feed him the cure? Stefan?"

"Come on, Stefan. It's your broth – " I cut off abruptly as an intense pain entered my head and I clutched my head as I cried out in pain along with Caroline, Elena and Stefan.

"Remember us, Caroline?" A familiar voice asked tauntingly as I turned my head to the side and recognised the witch Aja along with the other eleven witches Caroline killed to completely the expression triangle. Aja held her arm out as she muttered under her breath and the pain increased as I felt Stefan wrap an arm around my waist. I let out a gasp of relief as the pain suddenly stopped and I looked up just in time to see Aja's headless body collapse onto the ground.

"There are plenty more of these to go around. Who's next? I can do this all day." I heard my brother say from behind us so I turned around as I stood up and there he was with a smirk on his lips as he flipped a graduation cap in his hands. a smile spread across my lips as he looked between a grinning Caroline and me with utter affection in his expression.

3rd Person POV:

Damon strolled into his bedroom shirtless after having a shower to clean off all the blood. After reluctantly accepting blood from a smug Klaus, he was all healed up from the werewolf venom and didn't have to worry about suffering from anymore nasty hallucinations. He was just about to pull on a shirt when Elena came bursting into the room with a slightly panicked looked on her pretty face.

"Hi." He greeted her with a half-smile on his lips as dropped his hand to his side and she stopped in front of him as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah."

"So it's all healed up?"

"Fresh as a daisy."

"Good." She stated firmly with a nod of her head and then she slapped him hard across the face, making his head snap to the side under the impact.

Downstairs in the parlour Lexi, Alaric, Stefan and Rhea were eavesdropping on the conversation while nursing drinks. The two ghosts sat on the couch together as they stared up at the ceiling unapologetically and Stefan sat on the armchair to the side with his girlfriend perched on the arm as she played with his hair absently.

"Ouch." Lexi muttered under her breath as she shook her head and Rhea struggled to contain her laugh as she leaned into Stefan's shoulder.

"Yeah, I taught her that swing." Alaric bragged proudly with a deep nod of his head as he sipped his bourbon and Lexi laughed in delight as she clapped her hands together silently.

"You know it's not polite to eavesdrop, right?" Stefan teased the three of them playfully as he shook his head mockingly and Rhea swatted his shoulder scoldingly with a scowl on her lips as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm short on time here. Don't rob me of what little joy I have." Lexi stated with mock anger as she quirked an eyebrow at her best friend and Rhea grinned slyly as she stood up from the arm of Stefan's chair.

"You'll get your joy. Something tells me you'll be very happy. In about an hour." Rhea murmured happily as she sauntered over to the bar to the side of the room and everyone looked at her in confusion as Elena walked into the room looking stressed.

"Anyone seen Jeremy?" the doppelgänger asked in a worried voice as she looked around the room as though he would magically appear out of thin air.

"Oh, he went to see Bonnie. He'll be back later. You know, before... well, you know." Alaric told her unsurely as he waved his free hand in the air and scrunched his nose up slightly as Rhea giggled at his expression.

"Yeah. Stefan, can I, um... can I have a moment?"

"Sure." Stefan answered as she stood up from his seat and placed his empty glass on the side table as he followed her out of the room. he could practically feel the tension radiating from the brunette as they came to a stop just outside the house so that no vampire inside could hear them speaking. "So, what's up?"

"Honestly, Stefan, I just wanted to thank you. For sticking by me when I was at my worst, for believing that I was still in there. Even after everything I put you through, you... you never gave up on me." Elena said sincerely as she offered him a small smile and he rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled weakly in embarrassment.

"I, ah... I kind of owed you one."

"Here." She murmured softly as she held out her closed fist towards him and he frown slightly as he accepted the small blood red capsule she handed him. "It's yours. I want you to have it."

"No, Elena, I'm not gonna– "

"Stefan. The only person worse at being a vampire than me is you. Human blood is your downfall. You got the raw end of the vampire deal. The rest of us will be fine, we'll survive. I mean, you taught us. You deserve whatever you want out of life. You deserve this."

"Elena – "he started to say as she curled his fingers around the capsule holding the cure for vampirism and she shook her head silently as he looked down at his hand thoughtfully.

Caroline POV:

The cold breeze whipped my hair around my face as I stood on the football field in front of the commencement stage. Graduation certainly wasn't how I had imagined it would be, but it was finally over. I had graduated high school. A smile spread across my lips as I clapped my hands in front of my mouth.

The sound of soft footfalls alerted me to someone else's presence on the field and some part of me knew it was him.

"How'd you get here so fast?" I asked him gently as I turned around and came face to face with Klaus, looking ridiculous hot decked out in a suit.

"I was already on my way." he drawled in his accented voice and I raised both my eyebrows at him in surprise. Klaus smirked at me slightly, making me fight a sigh, as he drew a piece of paper from inside his coat. "I received your graduation announcement. It was... very subtle."

I chuckled feebly as I closed my eyes with a smile on my lips and shook my head to myself, cursing Rhea for making me send him that.

"I assume you're expecting cash?" he asked her teasingly as I opened my eyes and I felt a blush rise up on my cheeks as I laughed lightly.

"That, or a mini fridge." I joked brightly as a grin made its way onto my lips and he laughed in amusement as he placed the paper back into his coat pocket.

"Well, I had considered offering you a first class ticket to join me in Vienna..." he stated carefully with a longing glint in his light blue eyes and I immediately looked down at the ground as he sighed knowingly. "…but I knew what your answer would be. So, I opted for something I knew you would accept."

Curiosity swept over me as I tilted my head to the side with a frown and he let out another heavy sigh as he looked at me. "Tyler is now free to return to Mystic Falls."

"What?" I asked in a startled whisper as my gaze swept over his handsome face for any sign of deceit.

"He's your first love." Klaus admitted reluctantly with a subtle roll of his light blue eyes. My lips parted in surprise as I gasped slightly and my heart starting beating twice as fast as I looked at him with wide eyes.

The atmosphere surrounding us become much more tense as he stepped forward slightly and my breath caught in my throat at the completely adoration in his eyes. It was something that had never been directed at me.

My mother chose work over me. Damon used me. Elena chose Bonnie over me. My father tortured me when he found out I was a vampire. No one adored me.

And here was the most power creature in the world, standing in front of me, love in his eyes and promises on his lips. He was offering me the world, anything I wanted, and he was giving me the boy I loved. He was sacrificing his own happiness for mine. He loved me enough to realise I loved someone else.

"I intend to be your last, however long it takes." He vowed softly with an intense sincerity in his eyes and I stood froze in place as he leaned forward to gentle press a kiss to my cheek. "Congratulations, Caroline."

A soft laugh escaped my lips, tears filling my eyes. The unexpected elation that I felt was so foreign to me. Happiness was foreign to me. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I was genuinely happy.

Klaus had given me that.

A single moment of happiness in a lifetime of unhappy moments.

"Klaus…" I whispered softly, the word coming out like a caress carrying in the wind. His light blue eyes met mine, silently questioning me with just the one look. My feet carried me forward without me having to tell them so and my breaths became shallow when I was within three inches of him.

This was the instant. The moment I would pinpoint in the future, the moment that it all changed.

The hybrid looked at me in a mixture of confusion and awe, something that mimicked my own jumbled emotions. Butterflies were running wild in my stomach as I reached up slowly to place my hands on the side of his neck, enjoying the feel of his scruff under my fingers. His delicious lips parted slightly in anticipation and I glanced down at them as his hands gently rested on my waist.

My forehead pressed against his as our lips brushed, barely touching. The tension between us burnt like a campfire, completely safe but at the same time completely fierce.

I sucked in a startled breath, amazed by the thrilling sensation just the simplest touch created. He took that as affirmation and melded his lips against mine instantly, taking control of the kiss.

It was both forceful and gentle. Passionate and tame. Desirous and sweet. Like didn't want to break me but wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to take what he wanted.

His hands pulled me closer to his body so that I was pressed up against him, causing goosebumps to erupt over my skin. My arms wrapped around his neck as I responded to his kiss with the same amount of vigour.

One of his hands gripped my hair as he swept his tongue across my bottom lip and I eagerly parted my lips to allow him entrance to my mouth. His grip tightened on my hip, digging his fingers into my flesh and I let out a pleasurable moan.

I pulled back from the kiss, my forehead resting against his as my breaths came out in short pants. I could feel that my lips were swollen and they tingled slightly as I looked at him with a dazed look in my eyes.

Klaus grinned at me softly, his dimples peeking out and I smiled back at him with a gentle laugh escaping my lips. He grazed his knuckles of his right hand across my cheek and I leaned into his touch slightly as my eyes fluttered closed for a moment before I opened them.

"What was that, love?" he asked me breathlessly as he tucked a curl behind my ear and I swallowed harshly as I reached up to place my hand over his.

"That was a 'thank you'," I told him softly as I intertwined out fingers together and pulled our hands down to my side as I took a deep breath, "…and a 'goodbye'."

Pain flashed in his light blue eyes as he nodded in understanding and I offered him a small smile as I swung our joined hands absently.

"Let's get out of here, before 12 angry hybrids decide to pick a fight." Klaus teased lightly as he glanced jokingly over his shoulder and I laughed in amusement as we started walking off the field holding handing.

Lexi POV:

I looked at the burning fire, my arms crossed over my chest as I watched the flames dance. The whole house was silent. Jeremy had gone to find Bonnie, Elena had gone to find Jeremy, Damon and Alaric were having a drink somewhere and Stefan had gone with Rhea to find Rebekah.

I swirled the bourbon in my glass around absently. It felt awesome to be surrounded by people who cared about me. The Salvatore Boarding House was so full of love and hope and friendship. I hadn't felt so connected to anything in a long time.

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the house and I glanced over my shoulder before turning back to the fire, figuring it was just someone coming home.

"Rheanna?" a painfully familiar voice called out from the front of the house as the footsteps got closer to the parlour. My heart froze in my chest, literally skipping a beat at the sound of his voice and the glass in my hand slipped. The glass smashed to the ground with a loud crack, fracturing into pieces at my feet.

The footsteps hurried in my direction and I forced myself to swallow as I shook off the initial shock of hearing his voice. I straightened my shoulders as the footsteps stopped in the doorway of the parlour.

"Alexia?" he asked breathlessly, a touch of awe in his voice and I slowly turned around to face him. His oak brown eyes were slightly wide, his lips parted and his immaculate three-piece suit fitted him perfectly.

"Hello, Elijah." I greeted him softly with a gentle smile on my lips and he closed his eyes, like he was savouring the sound of my voice. "So… How have you been?"

Instead of answering my question he crossed the room in long strides and captured me in his arms, wrapping them around my waist tightly. I buried my head in the crook of his neck, taking a shaky breath as I relished in the familiarity of his warm embrace. It felt like coming home.

Everything about Elijah reminded me of the good things in life. He was passion and love and happiness. He embodied it. At least for me. Since he and Rhea saved my life back in 1680 slowly he became the centre of my world, holding me steady and keeping me balanced.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Elijah whispered quietly into my hair as he squeezed me tighter and I nodded silently as tears filled my eyes, the sound of his voice washed over me like warm rays of the sun after a cold winter.

"It feels so good to touch you, you have no idea."

"I believe I have some knowledge of the sentiment." He countered smoothly as he pulled back from the embrace to cup my face in his hands and I leaned into his touch as my eyes fluttered closed. "Alexia, nothing comes close to the feel of your skin on mine. I have missed you so much."

"I'm always with you, Elijah. We don't have much time left." I murmured softly as I looked into his oak brown eyes, the eyes that I feel in love with the moment I saw them.

Tears filled his eyes as he shook his head in denial, something I couldn't remember ever seeing before and my heart broke at the sight. It killed me to see him so heartbroken. "Don't say that. Please, don't say that."

"It's the truth, Elijah. I'm dead. I'm dead and veil goes back up tonight." I reminded him sadly as I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck and he leaned his forehead against mine. "Nothing can change that. This is our goodbye."

"No."

"Yes."

"No. It's unacceptable."

"Elijah, this isn't a debate. This is reality." I told him with a sigh, closing me eyes and he rested his hands on my hips as his lips glided over my forehead. "This is goodbye."

Elijah's lips crashed down onto mine as he pulled my body against his. The kiss held nothing back. It expressed a thousand different emotions. It told a thousand different stories. It declared a thousand times over how much he loved me.

For over 330 years we had known each other. 330 years we'd spent together, either as lovers or friends. And this was the end.

I pulled back from the kiss, gasping slightly for breath and he rubbed his thumb over my swollen lower lip. My hand curled around his jackets lapels and I leaned down to rest my forehead on his shoulder, trying to stop myself from crying.

"Alexia… I love you." Elijah murmured softly, his voice cracking slightly and that alone almost broke me. But hearing those words, hearing him say he loved me, it was the only drug I would ever need. Addictive and sweet.

"Oh, Elijah. I love you too. So much. I love you."

"I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you." he admitted in a small voice as he cupped my face in both hands and allowed his normally hidden vulnerability shine through. I tried to offer him a reassuring smile as I reached up to cover his hands with mine.

"I'm already gone, 'Lijah. This, right now, is borrowed time." I told him sadly as I blinked away the tears filling my eyes and he pressed his lips together in a tight line. "I'll tell you one thing though. If I only have these few moments left, I'm so glad I get to spend them with you. Elijah, you are the most important person in my life. I loved you more than I ever loved anyone. And thank you for giving me that experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Thank you."

"You have nothing to thank me for, my love. It has been my honest pleasure to love you and be loved by you." he replied instantly as though the words were on the tip of his tongue and I let out a shaky laugh as I melted into his warm embrace. My arms wrapped around his torso and he leaned his head on top of mine.

3rd Person POV:

Mystic Falls High School was silent as Elena Gilbert strolled into the boiler room in the basement. After Rheanna had ordered everyone from the Salvatore Boarding House, declaring 'I don't care where you go, what or who you do, but do it somewhere else because Alexia and Elijah deserve their epic goodbye and if you ruin it I'll rip your intestines out through mouth and then feed them to you' , Elena had decided to find her brother and Bonnie to say goodbye.

"Bonnie, Jer, are you guys here?" Elena called out in a slightly worried tone as she looked around the seemingly empty room. Metal clung somewhere behind her and she spun around with wide dark brown eyes, coming face to face with her own reflection.

"Happy graduation, cupcake." Katherine greeted her mockingly with a tight smile on her lips before using all of her strength to toss the younger vampire out of the room. Elena let out a pain filled grunt as her back crashed into the double doors outside the boiler room.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a strained voice as she struggled to push herself up on her hands and Katherine sauntered over to stand in front of her with a smirk.

"Would you believe I'm having a bad day?" the older vampire asked rhetorically as she grabbed Elena's head and threw her against a wall of metal lockers. Elena got to her feet almost instantly but Katherine sped over and kicked her leg up to press her booted foot on Elena's throat. "It started when Bonnie denied me my Silas-like immortality."

"Of course, because Katherine Pierce can't be happy with good old vampire-calibre immortality." Elena countered sarcastically as she grappled with Katherine's ankle and finally managed to throw her leg away from her. She used the leverage to slam the older vampire onto the ground but Katherine immediately pushed her back against the opposite wall of lockers. Elena ripped off one of the locker doors effortlessly and swung it at Katherine's face but the older doppelgänger caught it before impact.

"I deserved it. I never had a graduation, or a prom, or, you know, a life. But you did." Katherine stated harshly as she swung the door at Elena's face and sent her stumbling back down the hallway.

"Urgh!"

You have everything, and it's not because you're a good little girl who deserves happiness, it's because you stole mine." She added in fury as she threw the metal locker door at Elena but she ducked and the door lodged itself into the other lockers.

"I stole your happiness? You killed my brother!"

"I'll admit, that was nasty." Katherine conceded in an almost sweet tone of voice and Elena let out a furious yell as she rushed towards her. The older vampire grabbed her arm, twisting it as she threw her into the fire emergency case and the glass in the door shattered to the ground as Elena collapsed. Elena struggled to push herself up as she spat blood from her mouth onto the floor and panted to catch her breath. Katherine heels clicked as she sauntered towards her and saw a janitor's mop propped up against the wall so she broke off the wooden handle.

"Urgh."

"I have nothing. But I'm about to change that." the older doppelgänger declared as she beat the wooden stick against Elena's body and then kicked her across the hallway.

"Kicking someone while they're down... classy till the end, Katherine." Elena whispered bleakly as she blinked profusely up at the other brunette and tried to roll onto her side but everything hurt too much.

"Your end." Katherine disagreed with a laugh as she stabbed the broken end of the stick into Elena's throat. Elena gulped with blood forming on her lips as she struggled against it and Katherine dug it in deeper with a smirk. Katherine pulled the stick out of the younger vampire's throat and thrust her hand into the other girl's chest, curling her hand around her heart. Elena frantically reached into her jacket pocket as her dark brown eyes widened and she stared up at her mirror image. "Bye-bye, little girl."

"Manners, Katerina!" a British accented voice scolded her from behind and she spun her head around in shock but two hands grasped each side of her head. The sound of her neck snapping echoed throughout the room as her eyes fluttered closed and Katherine collapsed onto the ground to reveal Rheanna standing over her with a smirk.

"Rhea…" Elena breathed out in relief as her injuries slowly healed but the Originals attention was directed towards the small blood red capsule lying on the floor. The doppelgänger followed her gaze in confusion to where the cure was lying and she snapped her head back to look at Rhea as the Original slowly walked over to where it was.

"Here." Elena murmured softly as she held out her closed fist towards him and he frown slightly as he accepted the small blood red capsule she handed him. "It's yours. I want you to have it."

"No, Elena, I'm not gonna– "

"Stefan. The only person worse at being a vampire than me is you. Human blood is your downfall. You got the raw end of the vampire deal. The rest of us will be fine, we'll survive. I mean, you taught us. You deserve whatever you want out of life. You deserve this."

"Elena – "he started to say as she curled his fingers around the capsule holding the cure for vampirism and she shook her head silently as he looked down at his hand thoughtfully before he handed it back to her. "Listen... I'm glad you're okay with who you are now. But every single thing I did to get this, I did for you, so that the choice of whether you wanted to be a vampire or not would always be yours. I felt guilty that you died that night on the bridge. I couldn't save you and I knew you never wanted this. And it's true, I also wanted it for myself. To have the chance to live a human life. But I wanted that life with Rheanna, and now that's impossible. I'd rather live a thousand lives with her by my side, than live one without her. But thank you for thinking of me."

Rhea stared down at the cure. That tiny little capsule was the cause of so much grief, of pain, of death. The tiny little capsule was what everyone coveted. It turned friends into foes. And enemies into allies. For so long all she wanted was a chance to have the cure in her hand, but now that it was right in front of her, all she wanted to do was destroy it.

"Rhea? What are you doing?" Elena asked her softly, hesitantly like she was afraid the Original would snap at any moment. Rhea looked up at the sound of her name, tears in her oak brown eyes as her lower lip quivered slightly.

"That's the cure."

"I know."

"That's the reason Jeremy's dead. The reason Bonnie was brainwashed. The reason Silas got loose." Rhea murmured under her breath as she tilted her head to the side and looked back down at the capsule. She tilted her chin up slightly as she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as she lifted her foot so that it hovered over the cure. One small step, just a little pressure and it would all be over.

"What? What are you doing?" Elena asked her in a worried tone as her hand shot out to grab the Original's elbow and Rhea looked over at her with her lips pressed together in a tight line.

"Rebekah wants to be human. She wants a family and a career and a death. And I want her to be happy. I want her to have everything she wants, and deserves. But I don't want to lose her. She has been by my side since I was born. Literally. She was born minutes before me. I've never been without her. I can't. How can I – can I be without my twin sister? I don't want to be alone."

"Hey, hey, hey. Rhea, you'll never be alone." The doppelgänger assured her gently as she stepped in front of the honey haired Original and grabbed both of her hands in hers. Elena looked down at the cure briefly before taking a deep breath and lifting her foot so that it was hovering over the capsule. There was a cracking sound as Elena pressed down and the blood red liquid inside the case pooled on the ground, rendering it completely useless for anyone.

Rhea POV:

"So the cure just happened to break during Elena's fight with Katherine?" Stefan asked me sceptically as I fiddled with the channels of the radio and I shrugged my shoulders indifferently as I hid my sly smile from him. "Come on, Rhea! Just tell me what really happened."

"So, Damon and Elena are going to Japan?" I asked him to change the topic of the conversation as I lolled my head around to look at him and he rolled his eyes at the abrupt stop to his questioning as a small smile spread across his lips.

"That's right. And Rebekah's taking Matt to France?"

"That's right. Now where are we going? New York?" I asked him as I leaned back in the passenger seat with a content smile and he sighed loudly in mock exasperation as he looked over at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"Too close."

"Vegas!"

"Ugh, no. Too touristy."

"Look, I know you think I'm joking, but we are leaving. Silas is gone. Damon and Elena are happy traveling. Caroline's spending time with her mom before college. Bonnie and Jeremy are living it up back in Mystic Falls. My family isn't trying to kill each other. You and Damon aren't trying to kill each other. You just graduated for the millionth time. I just graduated for the first time. It's time for us to start living our life together." I told him happily as I bounced slightly with a grin on my lips and he laughed at my excitement but I could see the same in his forest green orbs.

"The truth is we could be anywhere and it would be perfect. Just as long as we're together." Stefan stated lovingly as he reached over to grab my hand and continued to steer the car down the highway out of Mystic Falls.

"I love you." I said softly with a content sigh as I looked out the window and Stefan brought my hand up to his mouth as he pressed a kiss to the inside of my wrist. I was finally getting my happily ever after.