"I hope our paths cross again. Until then take care of yourself and stay happy my friend."

• • •

Stefan backs up slightly but keeps both hands firmly placed on her shoulders. With a wide smile he laughs in disbelief. "H-how are you here? You're alive."

Camilla's smile is wide and bright when she replies. "Oh you know, there's always a chance of the dead rising when you live in Mystic Falls."

Stefan laughs loudly but nods his head in agreement nonetheless. Camilla notices his eyes slowly drift behind her and her eyes widen slightly as if she was just remembering Kol was still here.

Turning around Camilla's smile twitches when she notices Kol's slacked jaw and the loathing in his eyes.

"You came all this way to visit the Ripah that left everyone as soon as you died. Your children included." Kol speaks in annoyance, but he also sends a questioning glance Camilla's way.

Stefan looks away in shame but Camilla sends Kol a small glare. "Kol why don't you go explore the town, I'll text you when I need to be picked up." But they both know it's not a suggestion.

Kol opens his mouth in protest. "I don't even know what this 'town' is called! It's in the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees! I mean come on he couldn't have picked somewhere a bit nicer to hide?"

"Kol." She sends him a pleading glance.

Staring at her for a moment, seemingly not willing to budge he sighs loudly after a moment and gets into the car to speed away but only after sending Camilla a look that says 'You owe me big time.'

Turning back to the vampire she was once so madly in love with she notices him still drowning himself in guilt.

Nudging him slightly with her elbow to gain his attention she gestures towards the path leading into the woods with her head.

They walk through the path for a few minutes in silence. Observing the fall leaves falling and laying in piles on the dirt floor peacefully.

"I'm not back for good." Camilla breaks the silence, wincing when his head snaps towards hers in confusion.

And so she goes on to explain everything that has happened, how she's helping all of the bloodlines and saving her children in exchange for dying again.

"I know it might have been easier for you to go on with your life thinking that that was the end of my story but I couldn't leave again with out properly saying goodbye, no matter how selfish it is." She smiles sadly towards the man.

"No. No my life wouldn't have been better and you're far from selfish. Camilla I am so sorry. For what I did." He clarifies with red rimming his eyes.

Grabbing him firmly by the shoulders like he did to her only a few minutes ago she firmly tells him, " It's okay. I forgave you a long time ago. When you came back from the dead and I came back from the verge of death I was so happy. I had never fallen out of love with you nor you I, because you died. And I moved on with my life. We tried to make it work and it failed. And that's okay. Because you're alive and I changed so much while you were gone we just didn't want to admit it. I'm glad you left. I'm glad you got away from that town that had been nothing but horrible to you. Because you deserve so much more than what you have been offered." She stresses. "When I die I'm going to find peace. So you better make sure that you live your life as long as you can and find another totally epic love, and don't fail this time. No doppelgängers."

Stefan sadly laughs at the woman in front of him. "Life has been so horrible to you, I just wish you'd get your happy ending too."

" I've had so much happiness in my life already, it would be unfair if I keep hogging it all." She teases and he barks out a laugh.

They both find an old wooden bench and sit down on it, relishing in the peaceful moment that they know will be their last.

" It might be intrusive, but I'm really curious." Stefan pipes up, a smile beginning to rise onto his face, though he tries to hide it.

"Shoot." Camilla nods in curiosity.

"So did Klaus finally grow a pair or..." Stefan trails off in a loud laugh with her.

"Yeah. Of course it only took me dying and then coming back but yes he did." She tries to compose herself from their prior laughter.

"How is he taking all of this?" Stefan questions curiously, knowing all too well about the hybrids short temper and rash actions when he's scared.

"He's been wonderful with the kids. He's even taken Josie, Alec, and Lizzie under his wing." Stefan notices how fond her smile is and sincerely feels happy for the woman who he owes everything to.

"He told me that when I die... that he wants to go with me." She finishes, her smile slowly dying.

Stefans stills in shock, maybe the hybrid truly had changed. He supposed that it might have just been the side effect of loving Camilla Forbes, having personally experienced it. But in a way he understood what the hybrid wanted to do.

"And what did you say?" He questions once he's gotten over the initial shock.

"Well of course I told him it was ridiculous and that he couldn't do it. I mean how would the kids and his siblings feel?" She exclaims, waiting for Stefan to agree with her.

"I get it." Stefan says, making her eyes narrow into slits. "Now now, hear me out." He quickly says with his hands raised in mock surrender. She eventually nods her head for him to go on. " You were heartbroken when I died. Years later and I know you still felt the mourning so deeply. Now imagine if Klaus died, right now. How would you feel?"

Camillas silent for a couple seconds before whacking him in the stomach harshly. "Damn it Stefan!" She curses him and stands up beginning to pace.

Said man gasps and holds onto the pain in his abdomen. " What was that for?!" He shouts in pain.

"For making me see his perspective!" She shouts back.

He falls to the ground still holding his stomach but begins laughing. "What did you want me to say?"

"That I'm right and he's wrong!" She explains throwing her hands up.

Finally gaining the strength to stand up he holds his side and his face becomes serious once again. "Camilla it's not your choice to make. He loves you, the kids will be okay."

Camilla sits back down on the bench slowly with Stefan joining her seconds later. She takes a deep breath. "I know." She whispers.

They spend the next couple hours catching up on everything happening in both of their lives out in the woods with the small view of a lake.

"You've been tracking Jeremy all these years!? I honestly thought that he was dead." Stefan laughs loudly when she jokingly shoves him.

"Of course I was. Don't get me wrong I love Elena to death but I'd be lying if I said she was a good sister to him." She shrugs, Stefan nods in agreement before abruptly standing up and holding a hand out to her.

"What are you doing?" She questions confused.

"Dance with me." He states with a small shrug. When she gives him an uncertain look he continues. "One last dance."

Unable to resist his small guilt trip she obliges. He placed his hands on her waist and she placed her arms around his neck, they sway in silence for a minute before Stefan speaks up. "Thank you." He whispers, and Camilla can hear the thick emotion in his voice.

"For what?" Her eyebrows arch in confusion.

"For everything." He answers honestly. "For making me live when I didn't want to. For making life worth living. For showing me that love doesn't always end in heart break. Thank you for being you."

Both their eyes are watering as they stare into the others eyes. Not in a romantic way but in understanding.

"Meeting you Camilla Forbes was one of the best things to ever happen to me. Meeting you made me who I am today. Thank you for never giving up on me." One single tear falls down his cheek and Camilla's eyes are full of tears at this point. "I don't know how to say goodbye." He chokes out.

Camilla shakes her head with a tearful smile. "This Stefan Salvatore is not a goodbye. This is the beginning of your new chapter. And in a thousand years or so-" Stefan laughs. " We'll see each other again. I'll be at peace and I'll see you there someday. And you can tell me all about the epic loves you've had along the way and all your amazing adventures. You can tell me all the times you've kicked Damon's ass." They both laugh this time. When she notices the concern in his eyes she soothes his worries . "I'll be okay. I know my kids have enough family around to kick their asses if they start making bad choices so I'm not worried about them and I'll be with the love of my life. I'll be okay." She promises, at the same time letting him know that their talk had convinced her to agree to let Klaus join her in the after life.

Stefan stops their dance to bring her into a long hug. Cherishing it. After a few minutes they both pull back and stare at each other with emotional smiles and Stefan closes his eyes as Camilla gives him a long kiss on the cheek. "You don't owe me anything, because you saved me too." She whispers. Before slowly backing away.

Camilla stuffs both hands into her long coat pockets and gets one last look of the man who saved her from her own heartbreak. The one who was her best friend and lover in one, the one she let go of because she owed it to him to let him live his life.

She slowly turns around and walks away from him one last time, with much more closure and hope for his future.

Stefan stands from where she left him and watches her walk away. Analyzing every last thing about her with a fond smile knowing that he'd see her again one day. And that she'd be okay. He watches until she's out of his view before turning towards the lake and thinking about all the fond memories he had with the blonde. He feels the sincere happiness that he had the chance to meet her in his lifetime with one thought roaming through his mind.

'Goodbye Cami. Until we meet again.'

Camilla walks for a few minutes on the path until she sees Kol waiting for her in the drive way with both his eyebrows raised at her small fond smile.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" He questions curiously with a small undertone of pity after hearing the last bits of their conversation.

He understood why she wanted to come here now and why his brother couldn't come with. She needed a final goodbye to the man who glued her heart back together after his brother broke it. He had a newfound respect for the man after all of this, and not that he would ever say it out loud but after his best friends unstoppable death, if the man were to ever find himself in trouble, he would help him as much as he could. Because Stefan Salvatore protected and loved Cami when he and his family didn't.

Camilla's eyes look wistful for a second before she softly responds. "Yeah, yeah I did."