Elena only draws back from the embrace when Matt does. Even then, her hands lift to cradle his cheeks gently as she smiles at him through her tears. She manages to smile somehow, despite the fact she feels utterly destroyed inside - pained though the smile may be. She feels emptier and lighter for how hard she cried just now, having experienced a similar release. Her cheeks are wet, her eyes are bloodshot at the rims, and she's pretty sure her nose has never looked redder. But something inside of her feels quiet and still, almost peaceful in the hollowness, because Matt is with her. The laugh that escapes her lips chokes at her, but it's genuine in spite of everything else. (She will save Jeremy. There is no other option.)

"I can explain."

She isn't sure it will make any more sense once she is done explaining it, but she can try. She can tell him about the wormholes in the universe, the timeline discrepancies that are experienced because of this, and the fantastical worlds she has traveled to in the time she has been away. Mystic Falls has never felt farther away from her reach, and at the same time, she's holding it in her hands. Matt has always been home.

"Bonnie, Tyler, and Caroline are here, too. None of us necessarily remember the same things from home. Time works differently while we're here, but it's safe, Matt." As safe as it possibly can be, until they decide to rock the boat.