When I was young, when I was a human, I caught my mother giving a kiss to my father. They separated when I cleared my throat, then made fun of them. My mother laughed and pecked my father's lips while his cheeks reddened into the shade of strawberries. She looked at me and said, "there's nothing more articulate than a kiss." I asked her what was she talking about, the same face of confusion mimicked on my father's. Once again, she laughed, and then said, "a kiss is a question you want to spend your whole life answering. When you kiss the person you love, the one you want nothing more but to spend your whole life with, you will know that you won't ever be so happy in your life."

   When I was young, when I was human, I thought her words were directed to myself and Damon. But, now, as I stood against the wall of the empty Mikaelson mansion with the younger Salvatore kissing me full on the mouth, I realised that she wasn't. Damon's kisses were filled with love, yes, and I desired to continue kissing him, but... His kisses were different, the opposite compared to Stefan's. All while he kissed me, while his fingers grazed my hip and neck, my mind was blank. I didn't think, I couldn't think; I let his lips consume me, let fire ablaze in my veins. In that moment, I lost my composure.

   "We'll call you from the road," Damon said from the driver's side, a small smirk playing around his lips. "After we drop Klaus' body off in the Atlantic, of course." He had arrived about an hour after leaving Elena at her house, after an hour Stefan and I spent kissing. Although it had been at least another hour since we kissed, I could still feel his lips on mine. I felt his fingers tracing my skin, his smile against my lips, the small peck he gave me on my forehead right before he got in the car.

   "Be careful, please." I said, looking at both brothers with a stern look in my eyes.

   "When are we not?" Damon asked, his face showing sarcasm.

   "Always," I pointed out as I stepped away from the car and crossed my arms. "With you, nothing's ever careful."

   "We'll be careful," Stefan said, giving me a smile. "I'll call you soon." As soon as he finished those words, Damon sped away. I watched the car become smaller, then disappear all together after it left the long driveway. It was then where my surroundings became darker than the usual.

   The house, which was usually bright, was completely dark. The inside was covered in darkness, shadows dancing in my line of vision. Crickets and a few birds sang their songs to the night, making the atmosphere be a bit more creepy that it already was. The only thing that was left to make it feel like a horror movie would be the fog, which thankfully was nowhere in sight. I took a deep breath, and began to walk down the driveway while thinking that Damon could have been nice enough to take me to the boarding house before they left. 

   As I was walking down the road with my hands in my pocket and a hum in my throat, my phone began to ring. I smiled, thinking that it was Stefan who called. When I pulled out my phone, I became curious of the name that flashed in my screen. I stopped walking and swiped the green button, answering. "Elena, hi. Is everything o–"

   "Clara!" It wasn't Elena who spoke, but a male. I recognized the voice belonging to the youngest Gilbert, Jeremy. "Clara, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't call Damon or Stefan, and I seriously couldn't call Caroline or Bonnie, and I don't know where Matt is..."

   "Jeremy!" I stopped him. "First of all, take a deep breath. What are you talking about? What happened?"

   He took a deep breath. "I found Elena unconscious and surrounded by blood. It was bad, and I was worried, so I took her to the hospital."

   "You took her to the hospital?" I yelled. I slapped my hand to my forehead and turned, looking down the dark road in disbelief. "Jeremy, what the hell? Alaric is still out there and every remaining Original wants her dead so they can stop him. You're basically serving her on a silver platter."

   "This is my sister that we're talking about, Clara!" he defended. "When you find your sister unconscious, you call 911."

   "Fine," I breathed, understanding the boy. Elena was his sister, and he must have been frightened when he saw her unconscious. It was only obvious that he would take her to the hospital. "I'll be there soon. Give me ten minutes." I ended the call and took a deep breath, then sped to the hospital.

   The hospital, like always, was busy. Doctors and nurses were running to a fro rooms, people were waiting in hopes of good news, and then there was the occasional weep that would escape the mouth from those in the waiting room. I could hear it all, smell it all, see and hear every emotion that passed through the people around me. There was a woman in the waiting room, her hand covering her nose with white handkerchief seen between her fingers. A very pregnant woman was wheeled into the hospital, her hands over her stomach as she took deep breaths with her eyes shut closed. She wasn't in tears, in fact she had a small smile around her lips. 

   "Clara!" The familiar voice of the younger Gilbert brought me out of my daydream. He stood with Dr. Fell, both sporting worried looks. I hurried to the pair, quickly glancing around. 

   Dr. Fell pulled us into the corner, where she also glanced around before looking at us. "Elena's going to be fine," she quietly said. "She got a little banged up today, hit her day, but it was just a slight concussion, nothing to worry about."

   "But, Jeremy said that she collapsed, and there was blood," I told her, quickly glancing at the boy next to me.

   "Honestly, she's fine," Dr. Fell waved it off, giving us a smile. "She's just... She's been through a lot."

   I nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay, fine. You're the doctor." I looked at Jeremy and crossed my arms. "Call Damon, tell him what happened because he and Stefan need to know." As soon as he left, I turned to Dr. Fell. "Is she okay to go home?"

   "She should stay overnight for observation," Dr. Fell implied, crossing her arms, "but she's in danger, so it will be a good idea to take her home."

   Jeremy came back then, saying that Damon wasn't the only person he called. He also called Caroline, who was with Tyler, and Matt. Something about wanting his sister to be with people she was most comfortable with. I understood, since Elena and I weren't the best of friends. She would feel more comfortable with the people she grew up with.

   When Caroline arrived with Tyler and Matt, the five of us sneaked Elena out of the hospital and to Matt's truck. She was asleep, waking up only when Matt would drive over a bump on the road. Other than that, her eyes were closed and it seemed like she had no idea what was happening. It was when we arrived at her house that she fully woke up. I had her arm wrapped around my shoulders as I slowly walked in to her house. She kept mumbling something about being fine, something about being able to do something alone. I didn't believe her.

   "Couch," I told her as I walked in behind Matt, Tyler, and Caroline.

   "I'm fine," Elena breathed. "I just... I want something something to eat first."

   "We're on it," Tyler said, glancing up the stairs, "as soon as we make sure no one is lurking in the closets." He and Matt walked upstairs.

   "All right," Caroline said, looking at Elena and me. "Couch, now!" She pointed at the living room, the worried look still etched on her face. 

   "Ugh, I told you," Elena groaned, "I'm fine." 

   I let out a small huff and gently laid the human girl on the couch. "Dr. Fell said you should rest," I said, grabbing a blanket off a chair and handing it to her. "So, guess what? You're resting." Caroline walked over and took the blanket from Elena, covering her with a small smile. I chuckled and laid my hands on my waist. "Now, what can I get you?"

   "Do you want some tea?" Caroline joined. "Maybe some vodka? Both will help you sleep." Elena stared at her, then at me, then back to Caroline. The blond took a seat on the couch and let out a sigh. "I know, we're being smothering. It's what I do, what we do."

   "No," Elena shook her head, "it's-it's nice."

   "I'm thinking maybe tea with vodka," I joined, giving both girls a wide grin. They laughed, which echoed around the room. In that single moment, it felt as if I were human. It felt as if I was hanging out with friends after a long day of school, like those those cheesy Nineties teenage movies. 

   "I'll go get it," Caroline said, standing. "I could use some, too."

   "Make that three!" I called as she walked away. I turned to Elena, seeing how she stared at a picture on the end of the table. It was her in a cheerleading uniform, and two other people standing besides her. As I kept staring at it, I took notice that the two people were in a lot of pictures, which meant only one thing. 

   "Are those your parents?" I asked her, making her turn her head towards me.

   She nodded and gave me a short smile. "Yeah," she breathed. 

   "They look like they really love you," I said as I glanced back at the picture. "And you look so happy..."

   "Yeah," she breathed once again. "They were amazing..." She sounded as if she didn't know what to say, as if the words were caught right in her throat. 

   "You don't have to talk about them, Elena," I said, taking a seat next to her. "I know it's hard talking about your parents when they're not here."

   "How did you lose yours?" she asked after a few seconds of silence. It was evident in her eyes that she wanted to change the conversation, speak about something other than her parents.

   I shrugged my shoulders. "I was long gone when they died," I told her. "But, from the records I've read my father died of old age and my mother died of pneumonia a few years after I died. Other than that, I don't know that much." I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair. When I glanced back at the human girl, I noticed that she was asleep.

   I took another deep breath and went to the kitchen, where Caroline was on the phone with her mother. Liz sounded hysterical from the other side, scared. Caroline ended the call, told me that she needed to go, and went right out the door with a worried Tyler Lockwood right behind her. It was only Jeremy, Matt, and I that were in the house. The blonde boy took a seat right next to Elena on the couch, and he seemed to admire her from the corner. From the look he gave her, one could notice that she was his first love. There was some for of lingering love in that simple stare, one that said he would never forget her.

   It was at least half an hour later when Elena woke up. She sat up and looked around, her eyes heavy with tiredness. "Where is everyone?" she asked.

   "Tyler and Caroline got a call from their moms," Matt answered, glancing at me. He looked back at the girl. "What were you dreaming about?"

   "Sophomore year," she answered.

   "Seems like forever ago."

   "It was," she nodded. "I'm sorry that I strung you along. I should have figured out what I wanted and just been honest with it. I'm now making the same mistake with Stefan and Damon. It's not right what I'm doing to them, either. I... I have to let one of them go."

   Matt looked uncomfortable for a few seconds, but he seemed to be wanting to be near the girl just to help her. "Which one?"

   At that moment, like some superhero, Stefan Salvatore entered the house. He quickly walked across the room towards Elena, whom stood from the couch and ran to him. As soon as they embraced, she breathed his name. I stared at them, jealousy itching at my fingertips. In that single moment, I realized that I would never be allowed to have Stefan. He would always love someone else, that someone else being Elena. She would always be in his heart, always be a part of him. I had just entered his heart, a new residence in his love.

   I turned and decided to prepare a meal, remembering that Elena did say that she was hungry. Matt took a seat in the island, watching me. Stefan, on the other hand, leaned against the island with his arms crossed. His eyes followed me, and sometimes they would go back to Elena, who whined about being over coddled and said she was completely fine.

   "You're on house arrest," Stefan told her with a smile. "You're supposed to be over coddled."

   Matt sighed. "Wouldn't it be smarter if we just got the hell out of town?"

   "And do what?" Elena sighed. "Go on the run for the rest of my life? No thank you." She slowly got up, sighing once again. "And I'm not an invalid. I'm done with the couch." She mad a face and walked out of the room, annoyance reeking off of her. 

   "So, you're gonna let her call the shots?" Matt asked Stefan, looking at the vampire with an annoyed face.

   "Letting her make her own decisions," the vampire replied. 

   "Even if they're wrong?"

   "Nothing wrong with free will, Matt," I cut in, glancing at the human with a small smile. "Trust me, you don't realise that until you lose it." My eyes slowly drifted to Stefan, who stared back at me with an unreadable expression. It was something I hated on people, when I couldn't read what they were feeling or thinking. 

   "Stefan," Elena then called. His eyes slowly drifted from me and to the front doorway. The front door was wide open, revealing a regal-looking Elijah.

   "Elijah," I breathed, surprised. I had thought Klaus had him daggered, and he was still daggered, but there he was.

   His eyes followed all of us, and they finally landed on me. "Hello, again," he greeted. He entered the house as if nothing, head held high and eyes scanning around as if he were both disgusted and intrigued by everything. Elena made him follow her to the kitchen, where she sat down in the dining table and stared at the Original that sat one chair across from her. He began to speak about how we could defeat Alaric, which sounded easy but we knew it wasn't. 

   "All we need is to take that stake away from him," he said, glancing at all of us. "Once it's been disarmed, the weapons' in my possession, my family will scatter to the ends of the Earth and Alaric will follow."

   "And you'll just run?" Stefan asked him in disbelief, taking a seat in the empty chair between Elijah and Elena.

   "We've done it before," Elijah divulged, keeping his eyes on Elena. "Klaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years evading my father. What's another half century while Elena is able to live out the rest of her natural life?"

   "We've finally stopped him, Elijah," Elena said, speaking about Klaus. "After everything that he's done to us, I can't just let you bring him back."

   "I give you my word, Elena," Elijah said, almost sounding desperate. "I will not revive Klaus with yours nor your children's lifetimes. Perhaps, that will finally teach him some manners."

   "Why should she trust you?" Matt joined. "All you've done is screw her over."

   "Because he's loyal," I broke in, glancing at the Original. "Although he has gone back on his words so many times, he is loyal."

   Elijah stared at me for a couple of seconds, an unreadable reaction on his face. He then turned to Elena. "I am deeply ashamed for going back on my words," he told her, then glanced at Stefan and Matt. "But, know this, she could have been dead the instant I walked through that door tonight. So, Elena, I leave it to you to make the decision whether to trust me or not."

   "Not!" A sudden voice joined from the cellphone that was on the table. I glanced down and read Damon's name, making me realise that Stefan had called him while we were speaking. "Hello? Did that concussion give you brain damage? His lunatic siblings will kill you the first chance they get!"

   "Rebekah and Kol will honour the terms," Elijah said. "I you return Klaus' body to us, Elena will come to no harm." He glanced around the table, his eyes landing on each of us for several seconds. "Do we have a deal?"

   "No!" Damon yelled from the other side of the phone. "No, no, no, no! Did I mention no?"

   "Elena," Stefan softly said, turning to the girl. "It's up to you."

   "Oh, come on!" Damon groaned.

   "Why do you want Klaus' body?" Elena asked, leaning slightly closer to the Original.

   "He's my brother," he softly answered. "We remain together."

   Elena stared at the vampire for several seconds, then glanced down with a sigh. "We have a deal," she told him.

    "Good," Elijah said, standing. He turned to me and cleared his throat. "Clara, may I speak to you outside?"

   "Uh..." I scratched the back of my head and glanced around the room. Stefan was staring at me, as if he were warily telling me not to go. I straightened my composure and nodded, turning back to the Original with a straight-lipped smile. We walked outside, him following behind me, and stopped by the steps of the front porch. I turned to look at Elijah and crossed my arms. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

   "You should leave," he immediately said, looking everywhere else but me. "It's not safe for you here, Clara."

   I let out a short scoff, almost smiling. "You're just like Klaus," I said. "He told me the same thing the night of your mother's ball. But, instead of caring, he wanted the opposite; he wanted me not to care so much." I let out a small scoff and leaned my hip against the railing, staring at his shining black shoes instead of his eyes. "He offered me a place to stay, you know. Greece."

   Elijah kept quiet for several seconds, almost hesitating, until finally saying, "Aigio."

   "Yeah," I nodded. "He offered me a key to the place where he erased very memory of him, every memory of Rebekah, every memory of every time we had ever spent together since 1887. So, I bought a plane ticked to an opposite place, one where I have never been to."

   "Wait," he stopped me, raising a hand for me to keep quiet. " Were you planning on leaving already, Clara? May I ask why?"

   "Everyone I care about is here," I told him, almost tearing up. "Everyone I love is here, Elijah." I bit both of my lips and looked down. "But... This place no longer feels like home."

   "What do you mean?"

   "I reminiscence about everything in Mystic Falls," I began, "my family, my friends, the new people I've met since I've come back. As I lie in the echoing memories of what feels like a hundred years ago, it slithers in." I let out a chuckle as I glanced up at him, a teasing smile around my lips. "Poetic, right?" When he didn't laugh, I let out a chuckle and continued. "It's a sad feeling, really. I feel like a stranger in the place I used to know so well; it feels like I've stepped inside the memories of another life. It's overwhelming and strange, and it hurts to feel this way, to find myself feeling so disconnected in a place that is supposed to be the epitome of my comfort zone. It's daunting to have to face the harsh reality that this place I used to call home is no longer the place for me. My heart is here, trust me, it is, but... I no longer belong."

   Elijah stared at me, his face concealing every emotion. He tilted his head to the side, his lips set into a straight line, and then he nodded. "Well, if you want my advise, Clara, then I say it is best for you to leave."

   "No, it's not," someone cut in. I turned my head to see Stefan leaning against the door, his arms crossed, anger clear in his eyes. 

   I uncrossed my arms and stared at him, surprised. "Stefan..."

   "No, Clara," he cut me off. "You're always with this no one cares set-of-mind when everyone around you cares, especially me. I care about you, a lot."

   "But, you care about Elena more," I cut in, shaking my head. 

   "I chose you," he said, taking a step closer to me. "Clara, I chose you."

   "Because you knew she would be safe," I finished for him, crossing my arms again. "You chose me because Klaus was gone, because Elena was finally safe from him. If Klaus was still here, trust me, that kiss would never have happened."

   "Alaric is out there," Stefan pointed out. "He's just as dangerous as Klaus."

   "But not to Elena," I pointed out, shaking my head. "Her life is intertwined with his, so there's no way he would let her die. In a way, Stefan, she's safe, and you know that, which is what gave you that small breather that it was all fine."

   "You don't know that," he said, taking yet another step closer. He grabbed my hands, staring deep into my eyes. "Clara, I promise you, that I would have chosen you, over and over again I would have chosen you."

   "You sure?" I quietly asked. "Then chose who, now." I glanced at the doorway, where Elena quietly stood. Her arms were crossed, a look of confusion in her eyes. I took a step back from Stefan, letting go of his hands. "Go ahead, Stefan, chose."

   "W-what's going on?" Elena asked, taking a step outside. "Clara?" She looked at me, then turned turned to Stefan, and questioned his name out loud.

   "You see, Elena, I fell for him," I said, looking into his eyes. "I know, so Katherine of me to fall for the other Salvatore brother, but I couldn't help it. Matters of the heart can't really be controlled, and it sucks, because I fell for yet another mistake."

   "Clara, no..." Stefan shook his head.

   I turned my head to Elena, and gave her a smile. "I apologise for kissing him," I told her, then turned to Stefan. "It will never happen again."

   "Fine," he said, taking a step back and raising his hands in the air. "You want this to be over? Fine, Clara. If you want to leave, go ahead and leave; I'm done with you."

   In a way, I wanted to take back my words and apologise. I wanted to tell him that I was sorry, to go up to him and kiss him, even if Elena was right there. But, there was another part of me that was glad that I said those words, because I wasn't choosing him. I wasn't choosing Stefan, or Damon, or love in any way. For the first time in a long time, I was choosing myself. And it felt like shit.

   "Goodbye, Stefan," I quietly said, turning around and walking down the steps.

   "Clara, wait!" Elena called. "Stefan, stop her, please. Stefan! Stefan!"

   I stopped when I reached the side walk, and turned my head back to look at him. He was standing in the doorway, facing the inside, his arms crossed. I was tempted to turn back, to run to him, apologise, kiss him, but that would be choosing him over myself. And that would be love, but I didn't need love, because it would only bring pain, and I didn't need pain. At that moment, I decided to walk away from Stefan, away from my home. I turned around and sped back to the boarding house. 

   My bags were already packed, just like everything else in the room I had called mine for the past year and a half. The belongings I had called my own were packed in boxes, the bigger ones covered in a white blanket. I stared at the room for several seconds, then picked up my bags and walked out. There was a cab waiting for me in front of the house, the woman anxiously tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. I threw my bags in the trunk, gave a last glance at the boarding house, and got into the back of the cab.

   "Where to?" the woman asked, glancing at me through the rear-view mirror.

   I glanced down at my phone, expecting to see a text message, even a missed call, but there was nothing. "Uh, Lynchburg Regional Airport," I told her, letting out a small sigh.

   "You leaving somethin' behind?" the woman asked as she began to drive.

   "More like everything," I muttered, staring at the boarding house as it became smaller and smaller. I turned back around, seeing how the passing street-lights cast shadows on the woman's face. She had a wide face, a crooked nose, with sickly-red lipstick and she never stopped chewing her gum. I noticed two large cups of coffee on the cup holders, both of the rims covered in the same lipstick that coloured her lips. Her eyes, although they were wide—probably from all the caffeine—looked tired, as if she could take a nap as soon as the car stopped. 

   My phone began to vibrate, then. I looked down at it, reading Damon's name flashing on the screen. With a sigh, I picked up. "What?"

   "Well, is that any way to say goodbye to me?" he asked. His tone was sad, angry, hurt, as if something had happened.

   "I really wasn't planning on saying goodbye," I said, looking down at my nails. "Is everything okay?"

   "Well," he breathed, then let out a sigh. "Clara, Alaric staked Klaus."

   The phone almost fell from my hands from the words that escaped his mouth. I opened and closed my mouth, wanting to say something, anything, but the words were stuck in my throat. Klaus was gone, dead, which meant that everyone who descended from his bloodline would be dead as well. I was turned by Annabelle Zhu, daughter of Pearl, and she was turned by her mother before she could die of a horrible sickness. Pearl was turned by someone else, a minion of Klaus who had gone to China, which meant I was part of Klaus' bloodline.

   "How..." I passed a hand through my hair and looked down at my lap. "How long do we have?"

   "It took Sage about an hour before she got sick," he sighed. "How long till you make it to wherever you're going?"

   I let out a scoff and rolled my eyes. "About ten hours," I replied, shaking my head. 

   "Well, I guess it's better to turn around and have your epic goodbye with Stefan, huh?"

   "He told you?"

   "I pried it out of him," Damon chuckled, just like he did whenever nothing was wrong. For a few seconds, I almost believed his tone. "Clara, you can't really blame him, you know. He found Elena during a dark time in his life, and he will always love her, just like he will always love you."

   "You see, Damon, I know that," I said, biting my lower lip, "but, the problem is that she will always be his first choice. No matter what, Elena will always be his first choice. If we were both in danger, he would save her first."

   "Knowing Saint Stefan, he'd find a way to save the both of you."

   "Knowing Stefan, he'd find a way to save her first." I looked down at my nails and let out a short scoff. "So, we have an hour, right?"

   "Yeah," Damon said after several seconds of silence. "An hour, so I might as well confess, right?" He took a deep breath, shuffling being heard from his side of the line. "Clara, even though we already talked about it, I can't help but feel guilty for you turning. If it weren't for me being so stupid and falling for false words, you would have lived till you became old."

   "Or died of consumption," I chuckled, trying to light the situation.

   "Or died of consumption," he repeated, chuckling. "But, to be honest, I never imagined my life without you in it. Never. And then you were gone, just like that, in a moment so small, yet so big because I will never be able to forget it. So, I drowned my sorrows into a woman that told me sweet nothings."

   "Damon," I sighed, "we already went over this, remember? I will always love you because you were my first love, and those memories are precious to me, and they will always be, but you and I are over. It's no use thinking of the past when we have eternity. So, are you waiting for Elena?"

   "Here I was trying to make this a significant moment and you ruin it," he chuckled. "And no, not really, but in a way I'm waiting for her to call me." He stayed quiet for several seconds, then let out a short and meaningless laugh. "Speaking of the devil. Clara, hey, I love you."

   I smiled and shook my head. "I know."

   "You're an asshole," he scoffed. 

   I could imagine him rolling his eyes, annoyed. So, I smiled wider and bit my bottom lip. "Damon, I love you, too."

   The three little words were filled with so much emotion, yet none of them were romantic. Obviously, they once were filled with so much romance that one could write a poetry book, but now there was no romance between us. The three little words we shared were a mutual feeling, one that represented pain and loss and happiness and thankfulness, because we were thankful of each other. I was thankful of him showing me what love is, what true happiness was, what pain and worry was, because I would not be the person I was without him. Maybe, he felt the same way.

   About forty-five minutes later, I received another call. This time, the name of the other Salvatore flashed on the screen. I was wary on answering the call, scared. After what I imagined to be the fourth ring, I decided that it would be best to answer.

   "Stefan," I breathed. His name escaped my lips like a prayer, as if I were thankful of that simple six letter word.

   "Did you hear?" he asked, his voice low.

   "Damon called earlier," I said, glancing out the window. "He said we have at least an hour."

   "Have you called Caroline?"

   "I don't know what to tell her," I confessed. "I don't know how to say goodbye."

   "Is that why you're so keen on leaving?" he asked, the low of his voice turning into anger. "Why you never told me that you already bought a plane ticket to God-knows-where? What happened to telling me first, Clara?"

   "We have minutes left, Stefan," I sighed, laying my hand on my forehead. "Can we not spend them fighting over something that's already done?"

   "You can't blame me for being angry," he said.

   "And you can't blame for wanting to leave," I countered.

   After a few seconds of silence, he chuckled. "Clara, you are so complicated."

   "So I've been told," I hummed, shaking my head with a smile forming around my lips.

   "I wish you weren't so complicated," he softly said. "Maybe then you would understand my feelings for you."

   "I sort of do, Stefan," I said just as quietly. "I just... I know that I'm not your first choice, because if I was, you wouldn't have hesitated when I told you to chose between Elena and I."

   "She was right there, Clara. I couldn't do that to her!"

   "But, you could do it to me?" I countered, shaking my head. He stayed silent, as if he were rethinking the conversation. I shook my head and pressed my fingers to my forehead, letting out a small scoff that sounded more like a laugh. "I sound so immature, don't I?"

   "No," he answered. "You're choosing yourself over me, over love."

   "Ugh," I groaned, "you make it sound so bad."

   "Sorry," he apologised, a clear smile evident in his tone. "How far away are you?"

   "I'm about to get out of the cab," I said, glancing out the window. The airport stood in front of me, slightly busy with not so many people walking back and forth. I got out the cab, the phone pressed to my ear with my shoulder as I pulled out my bags from the trunk. I paid the woman, gave her a generous tip, then sauntered inside. 

   "You're far," Stefan commented. "You're so far, Clara."

   "I'm only an hour away," I said, trying to make light of the situation. "I'm not so far."

   "We should have never fought," he said. "I should have driven you to the airport."

   "You would have never let me go."

   "True." He let out a breathy laugh. "How long will it take you for you to understand that you do belong here?"

   "You're talking as if we don't have minutes left," I chuckled, looking down at my feet. I stood in the centre of the airport, looking down, tears already spilling down my cheeks.

   "I'm trying not to think of that," he said. "Tell me, Clara, how long will you be gone? I want to pick you up from the airport when you come back."

   A sob escaped my lips. I covered my mouth and shook my head, allowing myself to cry into my hand for several seconds. I then pulled away, took a deep breath, and tried to compose myself. "A few months?" I said, sounding more like a question than a statement. "I'm not sure, but I do know that I will call you first when I decide to come back."

   "Yeah," he said, a smile evident in his tone. "You, uh, you make sure tell me first this time, okay? Maybe when you return, we'll throw you a welcome back party."

   I smiled and shook my head, feeling my chest ache. No matter how much I wanted to turn back, to have the cab drive me back to Mystic Falls even though I'd die on the way, I wouldn't. I turned my head up to the big clock in the middle of the airport. An hour since Damon told me about Klaus' death had passed, and I felt fine, which meant some force in the universe worked with us or we weren't part of Klaus' bloodline.

   "I'll see you soon, Stefan," I said, too afraid to repeat those three little words I had nonchalantly told Damon earlier.

   "I..." he began, then sighed. "I'll see you soon, Clara."

   I ended the conversation and made my way through the airport. All the while, I couldn't stop thinking about my hometown, about the people I had grown so close to, and all I could do was smile. They had become like family, even the witch that hated vampires and the human boy who wanted nothing more but to be an ordinary boy. And then there were the two brothers who I thought I would never see again, the two brothers that became more than I ever imagined. It was then where I realised that even though Mystic Falls didn't feel like home, it still brought me happiness and laughter, even though there was a large amount of pain involved. Mystic Falls was home, even though it didn't feel like it. But, maybe, when I returned, it would feel like more.