Chapter 1: Beginning of the End
"One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry." - Oscar Wilde
D-Day
The scrawled red letters on the dry-erase calendar were written in the same format as the rest of the events were. Blue for Henry's things, red for hers, green for everything else. It had been up on her fridge for about a week now, a focal point in the kitchen. But it was different this morning. Because today was D-Day. And Elena, regardless of what she told everyone else, was far from prepared for what that would bring.
Elena yanked open the fridge door, accomplishing her original goal of getting some skim milk for her coffee. She didn't need to read the rest of the small square. She knew the day's events already. Her mind had been running through her schedule since the moment she'd woken up. She mentally scrolled through her to-do list as she near robotically ripped open the two Splenda packets and stirred the milk into the hot, dark liquid.
Next step: email. Elena figured if she maintained her routine as much as possible, she wouldn't feel the need to have a complete mental breakdown. She settled onto the oak stool on the other side of the marble countertop, dragging her laptop from its place next to the outlet. As it loaded, her gaze wandered around the house.
She'd hated it when she'd first stepped in, regardless of the fact that it had been exactly what she was looking for. She'd bought it out of necessity, not desire, and it had taken her over a year to feel truly at home there. But now its positives outweighed all of the bad memories and she could appreciate it. It was the perfect size for a small family, not some gargantuan mansion like her acquaintances all seemed to own. Because of its more private location, she was able to have a multitude of skylights and windows, allowing her a beautiful view of the rolling hillside it was placed on. Over the years, she'd personalized the house to her liking and she was so grateful she was able to call this place home.
The emails were nothing special. Most could be deleted immediately, various pleas for her to do things she had neither the time nor desire to do. Elena searched for the one she had been expecting, the confirmation of the day's plans from her "person" Jenna. Elena's face cracked into a small smile seeing the woman's bold, colorful font. Jenna had become such a good friend to her over the years that even the nagging to "eat light" didn't bother Elena in the slightest. Hell, this was the same woman who had taken every piece of junk food out of Elena's house a few months back, plastering pictures of a thinner Elena on nearly every square inch of the kitchen. Elena had realized a long time ago that "agents" or "managers" didn't work well so she'd decided to refer to Jenna as her person… her very, very well paid person.
Elena let out a soft groan. She was already exhausted just scrolling down the list. "It's going to be one long fu- Henry!" Her eyes caught sight of the young boy toddling his way across the hardwood floors of the kitchen. His speed increased once his mother extended her arms to lift him into her lap.
"How's my handsome little man?" She grinned. Almost immediately her mood was lifted seeing his tired and grumpy face. He was the furthest thing from a morning person, just like his father.
"Got sleepies," he grumbled, his fist awkwardly lifting to brush at the corner of his eye. Elena reached out her finger, lightly dusting away the small crust that had formed.
"All better?" The boy nodded, dropping his head into his mother's chest.
The pair sat in comfortable silence, Elena unable to do much with her arms the way he was rested in them. Suddenly the boy's head shot up, his eyes wide in excitement. "Is today the big O day?!"
Elena laughed. She knew what he was trying to say, but she was grateful that no one else was around to overhear his unintended innuendo. "Mhm. So that means…" She let her voice trail off, knowing her overenthusiastic son would fill in the blank.
"Daddy's house!" He shouted. The cheek-splitting smile he was wearing broke Elena's heart, her face falling.
She shook her head back and forth. "No, sweetie. We talked about this. You'll see Daddy next weekend."
Henry immediately pouted. "But I want Daddy!"
Elena's smirk grew mischievous. "Well then, I should probably call your uncle and tell him you're canceling your plans." As predicted, the boy's face lit up and he began to rapidly bounce up and down in her lap, his level of gibberish increasing.
And almost as if on cue, the doorbell rang throughout the open house.
Henry squealed, squirming enough to indicate he wanted to get down. Elena placed him on the floors, chuckling as he wobbled ahead of her. Once they reached the front of the house, he began rapidly smacking the wooden door in impatience.
"Hen, you have to move if you want me to get the door open." The boy obediently replied, shifting back and forth on his socked feet.
"Uncle Stefan!" Henry wrapped his body around the tall man's calf before he'd even entered the house.
"Hey little buddy," Stefan grinned, letting out a grunt as he leaned down to pick the boy up, bringing him to face level. "Ready to have some man time?"
Henry's head rocked up and down, eliciting a laugh from Stefan's lips. The female voice from behind him caught Elena off guard.
"I don't think Henry would be opposed to some pretty blonde time beforehand, though." Caroline's bouncy curls came from around Stefan's form, shooting Elena a sly smile. "Do you want me to get him ready?"
Elena reached forward, pulling her into a hug. "I thought you'd be drowning in beauty treatments by now."
"I was just coming to help get him to the house. Plus, I wanted to see you before… everything." Caroline twisted her head around and, content to see that Stefan was distracting Henry, turned back to her friend. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. Kind of just ready for it to be over." Elena replied, the smile on her face award-worthy.
Caroline looked unconvinced, but finally acquiesced. Nodding her head up and down, she ran her hands down her arms comfortingly. "Alright, well let me get the monster out of his pajamas and into some of the adorable clothes I picked out for him. Is his bag all ready to go?"
"Yep. It's right next to the dresser. Everything you need should be in there."
"Okay, hottie," Caroline pivoted on her heel, reaching into her fiancé's arms to pull Henry into her own. "Lets go try to manage those wild curls." She teasingly ran her hand through his near unnaturally thick hair and exited the foyer, walking up the stairs to his room.
After hearing the door close, Stefan's voice broke through the silence. "Hey."
"Hey," Elena murmured back. Damn, that sounded a lot more put together in her head.
Immediately, Stefan's arms were wrapped around her, pulling her into an embrace. She shakily intertwined her own arms around his waist, letting out a deep exhale. There were only three men who could give her hugs that actually felt comforting. Sure, Stefan was number three on that list, but his was the only one that ever truly made her feel safe.
"What's going on in that head of yours, crazy?" Stefan's calm voice rang in her ear.
Elena let out a slight laugh, her gaze going towards the still-open door behind him. "Wondering how far I'd get before you caught me."
Stefan stepped back a bit. "Eh. I'd let you make it to the driveway out of pity. Plus, as an added best friend bonus, I'd tackle you into the grass so your face didn't get all scraped up for the cameras."
"Ah, your generosity is second to none, Stef."
Elena smiled as his hand reached out to play with her jawline, forcing her to meet his gaze. He could always see straight past the "I'm fine" bullshit and make her feel comfortable enough to say how she really felt. She sighed, pulling his hand down and walking into the adjacent living room, plopping down on the couch with a wearied gaze. Stefan trailed behind, sitting down next to her a lot more gracefully. They sat in silence for a few moments before Elena began.
"Today, I will officially become a twenty-three year old single mother divorcée who's still in love with the damn bastard but for some reason pushed him away because god forbid she does something right in this world who then has to go walk the red carpet tonight in an uncomfortable, itchy gown while hundreds of people take pictures of her as she fakes a smile when she's told she didn't actually win." Elena stared into the fireplace, taking a deep breath at the end of her run-on sentence. "So to answer your previous question, that's what's going through my head."
Stefan smirked. He knew her well enough to be aware of where her head was. "Well, would you like me to talk you down off of that proverbial cliff or just stare at you awkwardly until Care comes back downstairs?"
"Well, the breeze is nice up here." Elena's wisecrack fell flat. "Alright, go ahead. Shoot out all your perfect wisdom that's completely cliché but will still make me feel the slightest bit better."
He didn't even hesitate, already prepared to do his best friend duty. "Firstly, you're still keeping it tight at twenty three so don't say it with that much disgust." Elena's face flushed with fake offense, slapping Stefan playfully on the arm. "Ouch," he chuckled. "Secondly, you have done far more good than evil. And it's a little hard to convince me you've never done something right when that red carpet you're talking about is the Oscars and you'll be wearing that uncomfortable dress when they announce your name as the winner of Best Writing for an Original Screenplay." Elena's gaze turned dubious at his choice of words. "Yes, I said when. Uncle Stefan is always right so hush. And thirdly…"
Stefan paused, preparing his words carefully. "Well, you know how I feel about D-Day."
Elena sighed, her gaze once again getting lost on the unlit log. "I would be lying to you if I said I hadn't considered it a thousand different times last night. But it's better this way… for everyone. We just became so toxic and… as much as I love him, the love doesn't get rid of that."
"Look, I agree with you, Elena. You guys had the shittiest and most toxic relationship I've ever witnessed. And you know I haven't been a fan of it since the beginning. But don't you think times have changed? You two were young and stupid and immature in all the wrong ways… but look at you now. I haven't seen him in months but… I can see it in you. You're different. You've grown up, figured out your shit. After everything you've been through, you've become a better person."
"That's the thing, though. The second I let him in… hell, the second you put me in the same room as him… all of that's gone. I'm back to that naïve, selfish eighteen year old who fell for the first guy who batted his eyelashes at her. This involves more than me now, Stefan. Henry's in this, too. This is the best solution. He's still in Henry's life and I can stay in mine, perfectly unaffected."
Stefan laughed. "Yeah, unaffected. Good luck with that."
Both turned their heads as they heard Caroline bouncing down the stairs, Henry resting on her hip. "I think we're all set," she chirped. Stefan pushed himself off of the couch, making his way over to her, as Elena slowly rose from her seat, as well. A sad smile formed on her face seeing the way Stefan looked at Caroline. While Elena still felt partially uncomfortable in her role as mom, Caroline was a natural. She was meant to carry a baby in one arm, bottle in the other.
Elena walked over to the couple as Caroline put Henry on the ground so that he could toddle over to her. Elena crouched down, pulling him into her arms. And there was the second perfect hug.
"You're going to be so good for your mommy… right, little Hen?" Her smile grew stronger as a few tears pricked at her eyes. "And you're not going to get scared or sad because you know you're going to see me tomorrow…" He nodded fiercely. "That's my brave boy." Elena pulled him into one last hug and then, pushing off from her knees, watched as he ran to Caroline again.
"I'll see you in a few hours, hun," Caroline called out over her shoulder, taking Henry to the car.
"Call or text if you need anything today." Stefan walked back to Elena, planting a kiss on her cheek and then walking to the door. "Just remember that we agreed that me sending you pictures of my six-pack doesn't actually help your psyche, no matter how badly you want them."
"Speaking of someone who hasn't changed a bit!" Elena shouted after him, laughing. But once the door closed behind him, her humored demeanor faded instantly. The average sized house suddenly felt enormous, as she stood in the middle of it all alone. Elena took a deep breath, willing herself the energy to go upstairs and actually get dressed, but it took nearly all of her strength not to just sink back into the couch and go to sleep.
Her mind drifted to the one place she hated for it to go. Where was he right now? What was he doing in his last "legally attached" hours? And was his mind in the exact same place as hers?
All alone, she repeated in her mind. And today, no matter how many crowds she stood in, it would become official.
"Everything looks good here, Ms. Gilbert." Elena gulped in anticipation as the kind-hearted lawyer in front of her slid the papers back towards her end of the desk along with an expensive-looking pen. "You agree with all of the terms set forth and there's nothing here that will quote-unquote 'screw you over' in the long run. Since he has already signed, all you have to do is add yours and you are, in the eyes of the legal system, a successfully divorced couple."
Elena assumed that her life would only flash before her eyes when she died, yet for some reason, as she shakily picked up the pen, all she could see was him. The lawyer began flipping through some extraneous documents, as though she wasn't hanging on by just her fingertips, preparing to finally and permanently let go.
The pad of her finger traced over the place where Damon Salvatore was signed in black ink as her mind tried to figure out where it had all gone wrong.
A small smile twitched at the end of her lips. Ah, yes. Of course. In the same way that it had started.
A swear word in the library.
I've never been more excited or more terrified for a story than I am for this one.
All I ask is that you give it a few chapters before you write it off completely. There's still a lot of story to tell. :)
PS. The final chapter of YBR will be up within the week.