a/n: It was my intention to kill Elena and have her stay dead, but...

A special thank you to Babi. for all the input in the last few chapters of the story :)

This is the last chapter and it's sad to see this story over with. I had an amazing journey and I want to thank everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/alerted this story. You're awesome! Again, there won't be a sequel. I don't think I would be able to do this story justice if I continued with a part two.

I decided to put the present in italics because the bulk of the chapter was flashbacks and I didn't want this chapter to be mostly italics :) Thanks again for sticking with me on this story!

THIRTY-ONE

The day was overcast with the threat of rain. It was fitting for the event of the day. The entire town had turned out for the funeral of one of the most beloved person in Mystic Falls. There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd as hundreds gathered around the open casket to pay their respects. Those closest to the fallen girl were somber and filled with sorrow.

It was almost too much to take.

It was odd to be attending one's own funeral and hear everything that was being said. To see all of the bleary eyes that were red from crying. With enhanced senses, she listened as those close to her gave their eulogies, always breaking down into hysterical sobs that broke her unbeating heart.

She was glad for the cover of the statue. It had always been her favorite; a crying angel made completely of marble. It was large enough that she could hide behind and far enough away from the crowd that no one could see her. Except for the ones that knew she was there. Even now, as he took his place in front of the podium, his vibrant blue over looked the crowd and locked with hers. He delivered his speech, trying his best to seem broken; his eyes never leaving hers.

A few more people said things about her, good things that they remembered and wanted to share. People she had forgotten about broke down in the middle of their speeches and had to be escorted by their friends. What got to her the most was the woman sitting directly in front of the coffin. Her cries could be heard above the others and as the ceremony progressed, the louder her sobs became.

She watched as the coffin was lowered into the grave. It gave her the chills and left her with a heavy heart as she heard the sound of the sniffling crowd. Unable to watch any longer, she shut her eyes and pressed her back against the statue. Without another look back, she turned and headed towards the boarding house to wait for those that knew she was still alive.

Damon lost track of time as he sat there, rocking back and forth as he held onto her body. He knew they should get up and go, but he didn't want to move. He knew that everyone was watching him, even Bonnie and Lucy had made their way inside to see the damage that had been done. Now that Jeremy and Alaric had risen it was just a matter of time before someone suggested that they leave. His eyes flickered up and met Katherine's. He was taken aback by the tears shining in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"You should go. All of you," Katherine said, tearing her gaze away from Damon and Elena.

"I'm not leaving without my sister," Jeremy said, his eyes focused on her body.

"We're not going to leave her here for someone to find. We would have to explain ourselves and everything that happened here."

"So what are you going to do?" Alaric asked. He was sad, but his heart went out to Jenna. She didn't even get a chance to say good bye. None of them did.

Stefan was the one to answer. "You guys go home. We'll take care of everything else."

"Don't say a word to anyone. All of you go to one house to clean up then go home from there," Katherine instructed. She was forming a plan in her head. "We will let you know the minute we figure something out." That was directed at Lucy and the witch inclined her head.

Slowly, all but the three vampires left the mansion in the middle of nowhere to go back to Mystic Falls. Katherine knew they weren't going to be able to pretend that nothing had happened for very long. They needed to do something. And fast. "Damon, we need to get going," Stefan said lightly, crouching by his brother.

His head snapped towards Stefan. "You had almost a year with her and you took her for granted. I had three weeks. Three weeks!" he snarled and hugged her tighter against his chest. "It wasn't enough."

Stefan knew he was lashing out because he was hurt. He didn't blame him because he was sure he would have done the same. He looked up to Katherine for help and she nodded. "Damon, get up. We have to move fast so that no one suspects anything. If they find her like this, it's going to be 1864 all over again. Except this time, you'll be in the tomb with me and no one will be getting out. Get. Up."

Damon glared at her, but slowly got to his feet. He held Elena in his arms bridal style and waited for them to move. Stefan and Katherine helped him into the back seat of his Camero and waited until he was adjusted before they went back to retrieve Klaus' body. They stashed it in the trunk, knowing they needed to bury him somewhere no one would be able to take the dagger out of him. After that, they took their place in the front seat. Stefan got behind the wheel and made the mistake of glancing into the rearview mirror. He swallowed thickly, wanting nothing more than to go back in time and save Elena. But there was nothing that could be done now.

"What are we going to do?" Stefan asked Katherine.

"Here's what I was thinking," she said and began to fill him in on the plan she had been formulating.

While they talked, Damon tuned them out. He was numb. He had finally started feeling whole again with Elena in his life and now she was gone. There was nothing that could bring her back and he felt empty inside. He wanted to go on a killing spree to take away the pain of losing her, but as he stared down at her face, he knew that wasn't an option. If he wanted her death to mean something, he wasn't going to revert to is old self. He was going to be the Damon she had fallen in love with.

He stroked her face, his thumb brushing over her lips. He would give anything for one last kiss, one that she would be able to return. He inhaled deeply and sighed at the scent of her blood. His eyes narrowed slightly and he sniffed the air again. Something was off. Gently, he moved his hand from her face to the wound at her back that was still bleeding slightly and brought it to his lips. His tongue darted out to taste the blood and he grimaced at the taste. It didn't taste sweet and angelic and it wasn't because she was dead. Blood spoiled, yes, but not that fast.

Damon went absolutely still as something clicked. There was a reason for the sudden acidity to her blood and it left him feeling that small ray of hope again as they rode back to Mystic Falls.

The first thing they did before setting their plan in motion was lock Klaus' body in one of the basement cellars. Damon stood in another one, staring at Elena's body on the floor. "We'll trash the place first and then move her upstairs," she said.

Damon shook his head. "No."

"No? Damon, we worked this out. We're going to make it look like someone was robbing you and didn't know Elena was here. She caught them by surprise and they killed her by accident and took off. That's why nothing was stolen."

He shook his head again and moved his eyes from Elena to Katherine. "We can't."

"Why not?" she asked, her hands balling into fists at his stubbornness. It was the best plan they had because no one would have to divulge that they were supernatural and the police wouldn't do any real investigating.

Stefan studied his brother and then looked down at Elena. "Because she's going to wake up."

Katherine's eyes went wide before she sank to her knees at Elena's side. "What?"

"She spent the night last night. She had my blood. Enough that she should come back," Damon explained, feeling a bit more hope. "I tasted her blood in the car. It didn't taste like that of a dead person. It didn't taste like human Elena anymore."

Katherine reached out and swiped some blood that had just begun to dry. She lifted her fingers to her lips and let her tongue dart out to taste it. "Why didn't you say anything before!" she hissed as she stood back up.

"I didn't know until we were in the car. It never occurred to me," he answered and shrugged. "It doesn't think that her family and friends think she's dead. One of them had to slip up by now."

Stefan nodded in agreement. "I'm sure someone told Jenna."

"So now what do we do? She can't stay here and be a vampire. Newborns aren't stable."

"I know that," Damon said quietly. He knew that when Elena woke up she wouldn't be able to blend in with society right off the bat. By the time she was ready, it would be time to move before anyone started noticing her agelessness. "So we continue with the plan," he said, looking at Katherine again.

"But-"

Stefan understood where Damon was going and spoke on his behalf, knowing his brother would correct him. "You could die for Elena." Katherine's eyes went wide and she stepped back. Before she could say anything, Stefan continued. "We still trash the house and make it look like someone was robbing us. Vervain doesn't hurt or weaken you, but it does prevent you from healing quickly, right?"

"Right..." she answered slowly, still ready to make a quick getaway.

"So we have you pretend to be Elena. The police would arrive to find you with a dagger in your chest. We would ask Jenna not to request an autopsy because we'll tell her what really happened, but you taking her place at the morgue would make it believable."

"Yes, but they're going to want to do a funeral."

"I'm sure Lucy and Bonnie can do a spell to get you out."

"But that would mean we have to tell them Elena isn't really dead," she countered.

"Not if we don't tell them what the spell is for," Damon said.

Silence fell between them, all three pairs of eyes glued to Elena. "You're sure we can pull it off?" Katherine asked.

Damon and Stefan nodded. "They'll be so full of grief and sorrow that they won't even think that something like this could have happened."

"Are you sure she's going to wake up?" she asked.

Damon nodded briefly. "She was still bleeding out in the car and I think it was her lungs letting the blood out so the body could repair itself. It was a traumatic death. It'll be a little bit before she wakes up. But she will."

Katherine stared at him and stepped in front of his view of Elena. "You better be damn sure, Salvatore. If this is some plot to finally get me out of the picture-"

Damon grabbed her by the throat, his fangs bared at her. "Elena seemed to think you were telling the truth. She's the only reason we're going to bring you back from the coffin; even if we have to dig you out the old fashioned way," he snarled and let go by shoving her roughly. "We have a house to destroy," he added before turning his back and leaving the room.

Katherine rolled her shoulders and stalked off after him, not happy about being treated like that. Stefan was the last to leave. He turned at the doorway to look at Elena again. He remembered feeling so broken hearing Damon's cries. It brought tears to his eyes again, only this time they were mixed with tears of relief. Slowly, he closed the door, locking it behind him in case she decided to wake up. They couldn't risk her walking around town when they had to go to such great lengths to keep her death a secret.

Stefan returned to the boarding house after the last of the emergency vehicles could no longer be seen. Since his alibi had been gone to a friend's house out of Mystic Falls, he couldn't be there. Lucy was staying in Fell's Church, giving Stefan a "place to go" according to Katherine. Damon had gone to the store to get something for Elena. She had called him, but the line went dead. He immediately drove back to find her dead in the foyer. Or so the story went.

Katherine had taken enough vervain with her to keep the would open and convincing. She had contacted Lucy to tell him that Stefan was using her as an alibi and that she was going to need her to perform a spell later. She assured the brothers that if she told the witch the truth about the spell, she wouldn't tell Bonnie. It was part of their trust agreement. As it was, Katherine promised Lucy that she would consider her debts paid as long as she kept her mouth shut.

Stefan stood outside the cellar door, watching as Damon sat against the wall with Elena in his arms. There was bags of blood by his side for when she woke. He was going to sit there for as long as it took. "I'm going over to Jenna's. I need to tell her what really happened."

"I'll be here."

Stefan ran his hand through his hair and said what he knew Damon didn't want to hear. "Damon, there's a chance that-"

"I know."

"No, you don't know. You're clinging to the slightest bit of hope that she's going to wake up and she might not. I just want you to understand that it might be over. She might really be dead."

Damon said nothing in response. Instead, he brushed the hair from her face and traced her jaw with his forefinger. Stefan sighed and left them alone. There was nothing he could say to make Damon realize that Elena waking up as a vampire was only fifty-fifty. Once Stefan was gone, Damon felt his body relax. He knew it was true; that she might not wake up, that it was all in his head. A tear slid down his cheek as he brushed his thumb across her lips. "Come back to me, Elena. I need you," he whispered.

Countless hours had passed as Damon sat in the cellar, holding Elena without ever letting go of her. He had dozed off once or twice, but not for more than fifteen minutes at a time. He was afraid that she would wake up without him noticing even though he knew she would be noisy. The longer he sat there, the more Stefan's words started to echo in his mind. He couldn't chase away the dark thoughts. What if Elena really was dead? What if the change of how her blood tasted meant nothing? What if he was trying to-

And then it happened.

Her body moved in his arms.

Damon went absolutely still as she began to move more and more until her eyes flew open. He saw her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to breathe, but he was too stunned to do anything. All he could do was sit there and watch as the love of his life woke from her death.

Elena's lips parted and she gasped for air. She hissed in pain as sharp air filled her lungs. Her body felt like it was being poked with tiny pins and needles, like she had slept the wrong way and her body had been numb for awhile. Her vision was still a little blurry, but the familiar scent of Damon filled her nose. "Damon?" she mumbled, her jaw throbbing with a dull ache.

"I'm right here," he said and moved so that her head could rest against his shoulder. "I'm right here," he repeated.

"I don't feel good," she breathed, closing her eyes. She inhaled deeply and was rewarded with the delicious mixture of Damon's scent and the smell of blood. That made her go still and lift her head to look at Damon. It was then that she noticed the tears on his cheeks and the sheer happiness in his eyes. "Damon?"

He brought her to him instead of answering. He held her in a crushing grip and she felt his tears on the curve of her neck. "I'm so sorry," he breathed.

"Why?" she whispered back, even though she was pretty sure that she already knew the answer.

He pulled back slightly and cupped her face. "I wanted it to your choice. I never wanted you to turn against your will," he said and she closed her eyes. It all came flooding back to her. They were about to leave when Klaus cried out. They turned to see him fall and the next thing she knew she felt a sharp pain in her back. Shortly after that she was dying in Damon's arms. "You still have a choice," he whispered, drawing her from her thoughts.

Her eyes opened to see him holding up a bag of blood. She tore her gaze away from it and smiled softly at him. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. "I want you. That's my choice."

Damon inclined his head and used his fangs to rip open the bag. She needed to smell the blood in order to have her fangs come down. He watched the blood rush to the veins on her face, making them more prominent. Her bottom jaw dropped as pain washed over her features. Her fingers dug into him as her fangs began to descend, tearing their way through her gums. Damon had never seen anything so beautiful in his life before. He tipped the blood towards her and she took it. He watched as she fed eagerly, completing the change so that she could live forever; that they could live together.

The moment she drained the bag, she tossed to the side and surged forward to press her lips against his. She kissed him just as hungrily as she had fed, both of them overjoyed that she wasn't truly dead. She moved to straddle his legs and sank her fingers into his hair. He could taste the blood on her tongue and it only reminded him of how long it had been since his last meal.

Slowly, the kiss lost its heat and they broke apart. Damon offered her another bag and picked one up for himself. They bit into their bags at the same time and drank deeply. Elena sighed with satisfaction as the coppery tasting liquid made its way down her throat. She had never felt so hungry in her life; had never tasted anything so fulfilling. As she reached for another bag, Damon grabbed her wrists and shook his head.

"You can't give into your cravings."

She wanted to fight him off and do whatever it took to get to the last bag of blood by their side, but she knew he was right. She nodded and he let go of her hands. "What now?" she breathed.

He reached up and tucked her hair behind her hears. He gave her a soft, sad smile that spoke volumes. He knew whatever he was going to tell her was something she wasn't going to like. She nodded mutely and placed her hands on his shoulders, listening as he told her that everyone thought she was dead. He told her that Katherine was pretending to be her for the funeral and that Elena couldn't stay in Mystic Falls after that. What hurt the most was that she wasn't going to get to say goodbye to her friends and family. But she understood. When he was done, she rested her head on his shoulder and they held each other. She was alive; that was all that Damon cared about. He smiled as he held her in her arms.

Elena sat on Damon's bed, waiting for his return. Witnessing her own funeral had been so surreal, everything felt like a dream. She spent her time sitting there, trying to block out the sound of Jenna's sobs. Her fingers absently played with the chain of her necklace. Damon had removed it before she woke up so that the vervain wouldn't hurt her. Since then, Lucy had spelled it so that she could walk in the sun. Inside the locket there was a small piece of lapis lazuli, the stone that allowed the spell to work.

It was almost nightfall by the time Damon and Stefan returned to the mansion. Everything had been packed and ready to go so that they could make their getaway after getting Katherine back. Elena wanted to be there to say good bye to her; to thank her for everything even though she had died anyway. The three of them drove away from the boarding house, Stefan in his own car, Elena and Damon in his. The brothers left with a heavy heart, knowing that they would never been setting foot in this town again. They had come back more than once before, but now they had closure.

The trio stood by Elena's grave, waiting for the witches to complete their spell. Elena couldn't imagine how Lucy had talked Bonnie into performing such a spell without being clued in to the details. Shrugging that thought aside, she snuggled closer to Damon and closed her eyes. An hour after waiting, they felt the ground begin to shake just slightly. It was enough that any supernatural being around would have known that it was magick of some sort.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long before Katherine's body appeared on top of the grave, in front of the head stone. She was curled up in the fetal position with an awestruck look on her face. Slowly, she uncurled herself and got to her feet. Stefan caught her as she stumbled and let her lean on him for support. When everything snapped into place, she rushed forward and put her arms around Elena, moving Damon aside in the process.

"I really did try everything I could to help you," she whispered. "I never meant to get you killed. I underestimated Klaus. I led him right to you," she added and held Elena tighter, knowing that she couldn't break her with her strength.

Both Stefan and Damon watched the exchange with surprise. Katherine pulled back enough to look at Elena and then let her eyes flicker to Damon. "Take care of her or I will hunt you down."

"I will."

She looked back at Elena again and smiled. "One day, when the people you once knew are gone, I'll tell Isobel the truth. For now, she'll think you've passed on. Like it or not, her and I are the only family you're going to have someday and I intend on keeping an eye on you still."

Elena nodded briefly. "I understand." She looked at Stefan and then to Damon. "Can I have a minute with Stefan?" she asked.

He nodded and led Katherine away from the pair. "I'm sorry, Elena."

"I wish people would stop saying that," she said. "It's done. Look, there's something I want you to do for me before you leave."

"Anything."

"I wrote a good bye letter to everyone. The moment Katherine told me that this could be a possibility, I prepared for the worst. All I need you to do is get them out so that they get to the right people."

"Where are they?"

"The loose floorboard in front of my closet."

He nodded. "I'll make sure that everyone gets theirs," he said and then pulled her in for a crushing hug. "This isn't goodbye forever, you know."

"I know," she said, but couldn't help but shed a few tears.

"We'll see each other again," he assured her as he stepped back and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Are you and Katherine leaving together?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure," he answered and let his eyes wander to the elder vampire. "You should go before someone gets the urge to mourn you tonight."

She nodded and they made their way to the others. They said another round of goodbyes before they went their separate ways. Elena turned her attention the window, watching as Mystic Falls passed by. More tears sprang to her eyes as she realized she would probably never set foot in this town again. She was born here, she had lived here, and she had died here. Most importantly, she had loved here.

Damon's hand sought hers and she gave him a reassuring squeeze. Together, they put their past behind them and set out to start their new life together.