The Vampire Diaries: Season 6

Chapter 1- New Beginnings

Chapter 1- New Beginnings

It had been 12 days, 7 hours, and 49 minutes since Damon and Bonnie died. Most of the town had returned to its normal start of summer schedule. The destruction of the Grill and a few surrounding buildings was blamed solely on a gas explosion and the few lost days went unnoticed among the majority of people.

However for some the past 12 days had been filled with three too many goodbyes and some new lives to get used to. Elena Gilbert hadn't said more than a few words since the death of her best friend and love. Stefan Salvatore mourned his brother and best friend who he never got to say goodbye to. Tyler Lockwood struggled with the impending full moon now that he was once again only a werewolf. In fact they had all come back from The Other Side as humans. Caroline Forbes handled her anger and denial by spending the time compelling everyone in town to forget that Alaric Saltzman had died. The story was that after Jenna's death and many other terrible tragedies he needed some time alone and had been in North Carolina for the last year. Caroline also managed to compel his old apartment back, where shortly after Elena and Jeremy moved back in with him. To someone on the outside everything would have seemed like a normal family putting the pieces back together after losing parts of its core. But no one would ever truly get over Damon, Bonnie and Lexis' deaths.

"Elena, I have to run over to the school for the morning but I called Stefan and he's going to come over until I get back alright?" Alaric said, peeking his head into Elena's room at the back of the apartment. Elena nodded and then slipped back into the shelter of her bed.

"Elena I know how hard it seems to go on when you've lost so much but they wouldn't want you to stay like this forever." Rick paused even though he knew he wouldn't get a response, "there's some breakfast in the kitchen when you're hungry, I'll be back later." And with that Alaric left to try and get his old job back.

Just after Alaric left Stefan arrived at the apartment.

"Elena? Jeremy?" he called, but he didn't get a response. "So just Elena then?" still no response came. He made his way into the back bedroom but didn't say anything else. Now wasn't the time for jokes or some inspirational hero speech to get Elena back on her feet. The truth was that Stefan felt every ounce of pain that Elena was feeling too. So he didn't say anything else to her knowing that nothing he could say would help, she needed time, they all needed time.

Stefan opened up the curtains allowing some morning light to enter to room and brought in the leftover pizza Rick had left for breakfast. Nutritional meals weren't on the top of anyone's list right now.

"I can heat it up if you want." Stefan said motioning to the plate now sitting on the table beside her bed. There wasn't much in the room yet, just the few things Elena had at college and her stuff from his house. He and Caroline had helped to set up her room and the rest of the apartment over the weekend. But it was still bare and would be for a while until some life came back into all of them.

"It's fine cold, thank you Stefan." Elena said in a quiet and broken voice. The response took Stefan by surprise and brought the first smile to his face all week.

"She talks," He said almost laughing, but the faint smile dropped from Elena's face dropped directly after. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, it's just good to hear from you, we miss you."

"Not talking isn't going to bring them back." Said Elena.

"I know I miss him too."

"It's not just him Stefan, yeah I miss him but it's Bonnie, my best friend who I will never see again. It's Lexi, your best friend. It's Vicki, Matt's sister. It was everyone over there we won't see again. And then this entire heart ache brings back to memories of losing my parents and John and Isobel and Jenna. So yeah I miss Damon but what makes it worse is knowing just how much more I've lost now." Elena spit out.

"I know.." Stefan started but was interrupted by Elena again.

"And you know what else I am going to miss, being a vampire. I hated it so much at first and then just as I got used to it, just as the eternity I was promised was beginning, it was all ripped away from me."

"We are all human now Elena." Stefan explained even though he knew that she was aware of all of their suffering.

"Not Caroline, what happens in 50 years when I have to say goodbye to my other best friend who will still be 17 and young and just at the beginning of her life? What happens then Stefan?" Tears were starting to form in the corners of her eyes. Stefan reached out to pull her into a hug but Elena stood up and walked past him. "I'm going to take a shower, you don't have to stay here, I don't need a babysitter."

"Elena, wait,"

"Really Stefan, I'm fine." Elena said as she walked toward the bathroom leaving Stefan with no option but to leave her to deal with her mourning on her own.

After checking in on Elena, Stefan made his way to the Lockwood mansion where Caroline, Matt and Tyler were.

"Stefan, how are you?" Matt asked as he approached the doorway. He stopped just before entering remembering how Matt had never invited him in after he got the deed to the house. But then the realization that he was human came back and slapped him in the face. He didn't have to be invited in anymore, not here, not anywhere ever again.

"Stefan," Caroline began, "We will find a way to change you back, it'll all be okay."

"Maybe I don't want to be a vampire again Caroline, all I have wanted for the last 150 years was to be human and you think that now that I've got it I'll go back to being a monster?" Stefan said, anger flushing through him. He couldn't flip out on Elena and he knew he shouldn't on Caroline but she would be able to handle it better right now.

"I'm sorry." Was all Caroline managed to squeak out.

"What do you have to drink?" Stefan asked Tyler.

"Dude, its 8 a.m. you sure you want to start drinking already?" Tyler asked.

"Dude, don't question me right now give me everything you got."

"Stefan," Caroline started.

"Enough Caroline, you didn't lose anything, I lost the two people in this world that I care about most so for today all I want to do is drink until I can't remember my own name let alone all the pain I've experienced over the last 150 years."

"I didn't lose anything?" Caroline shouted, "Stefan I lost my best friend, I have known Bonnie since I was 4 years old and now she's dead. Don't you ever say I didn't lose anything," She had more to say, more to shout back but tears took over and she made a break for the door.

"That was a real stupid thing to say man." Matt said to Stefan. "She's been trying to pull it together and be there for everyone else this past week and she didn't deserve that at all."

Stefan's only response was a large sip of bourbon from the glass Tyler had already poured him.

"Well if this is how today is already headed I will get more of that." Tyler said pointing to the alcohol.

"Don't worry Stefan; I'll clean up your mess with Caroline." Matt said turning his back and storming out.

"Care? Caroline?" Matt screamed into the woods of the Lockwood property. "Care please come and talk Stefan says he's sorry." Or at least he better say he his Matt thought to himself.

"Matt?" a voice called from behind him.

"Caroline," Matt started to say with relief as he turned around. But when he did the blond he was looking at wasn't Caroline at all. "Rebekah?"