Fishing and Swimming

With the wind whipping through their hair, Elena and Jeremy asked once again how far to the lake house. Their dad, Greyson, turned to his wife, Miranda, with a grin and assured the kids, 8 and 9 years old, that it wasn't much further. It had been a whole year since the family had visited the house nestled in between the thick, green woods and the pure, blue lake. As the car pulled around the last bend and the house was in sight at last, Elena and Jeremy began bouncing in their seat with udder excitement.

Without waiting for the car to come to a complete stop, the kids jumped out and race down the dock, pushing each other along the way. Greyson just shook his head while Miranda shouted after them to be careful. Elena and Jeremy jumped right into the lake without stripping down to their swimsuits. Miranda laughed knowing that they didn't care if their clothes got wet. They were just happy to be out of the car after being in it for two hours straight. While the kids splashed and swam around, Greyson and Miranda unloaded the car and moved everything into the house. Everything was exactly where it had been when they left. It felt like picking up where they left off last summer.

Instead of unpacking right away, the couple went out onto the deck to watch their children squeal and laugh in the water. It was a calming sound for them knowing how hard the decision to come for the week was. This had always been the get-away place for the family for as long as Greyson could remember. Here, the family could forget about the small-town worries and just focus on one another.

As the sun began its slow descent behind the trees, Greyson headed into the house to start dinner. He decided to grill some burgers while Miranda just sat absorbing the last rays of sunlight. She knew it would be difficult to get the kids out of the water but she let them be until dinner was actually done. But the smell had made its way to them in the water and they came running down the dock, dripping from head to toe. Sitting on the dock, they ate while they listened to Jeremy who recounted everything that had happened while in the water. Jeremy then turned to his dad asking when they were going fishing as he had promised. Greyson responded with a smile that he had planned to do it the next day. Hearing this news made Jeremy even more animated as he predicted what was going to happen then. Noticing for the first time that Elena had become very quiet, Jeremy immediately invited her to come with them. A smile instantly lit up her face and she joined in his babble.

Instead of going out on a boat, the three Gilberts sat at the end of the dock with fishing rods in hand. Greyson patiently explained and showed both kids how to bait and cast their line. After a few failed attempts, all three lines were put in position. At first both Elena and Jeremy were quiet and stared at the bobbers in the water but soon they grew a little impatient. Laughing to himself, Greyson had expected this to happen and was ready to explain that they had to be quiet and still until the fish came to them. He then went on to tell them about the first time his dad had taught him to fish. After hearing this story, both kids were so excited and went back to starring at the bobbers, concentrating hard on them, watching every movement in the water.

A bit later, the bobbers on both Elena's and Jeremy's lines began to move and dip into the water. When the bobbers went completely under, Greyson shouted for the kids to quickly reel the lines in before the fish got away. Both reeled in a small fish and their eyes lit up like Christmas morning. Seeing the excitement in their eyes was worth all of the explaining and waiting to Greyson. He turned toward that house just in time to see Miranda bound toward them with a camera in hand. The kids gave big smiles for the camera and then released their catch back into the lake.

After that first catch, Elena and Jeremy could not get enough fishing with their dad on that trip. Soon, it was time for the family to head back to their normal lives in Mystic Falls. But, that summer was never forgotten by any member of the Gilbert family.

-Twelve Years Later-

Elena walked through that same door once again but this time things were different. She was seven months pregnant and Stefan, her husband, was carrying a sleeping two-year-old Madelynn in one hand and a couple suitcases in the other. After the long trip, she was exhausted and just wanted to stretch out. Stefan laid Madelynn on the bed and went back for another load from the van. Meanwhile, Elena thought back to all the trips she had taken there as a kid and then the couple times she and Stefan had come there before Madelynn was born. Who would have thought that they would have found a way for Stefan to be the biological father of Madelynn and the little one she was carrying?

Elena made her way out back where she stretched out on the deck couch and stared out at the lake that was still as clear and blue as she remembered it. While thinking about her first time fishing, Stefan came out and sat down beside Elena. Placing her feet in his lap, Stefan started rubbing and watched as Elena relaxed under his touch. The two of them sat there in silence and just watched the world around them.

Soon enough, little Madelynn came teetering out on the deck and attached herself to Stefan's legs. Knowing that she would not let go until he got up to play with her, he gently placed Elena's legs back on the couch and scooped Madelynn up. She let out a peel of joy as he flipped her upside-down and carried her to the water's edge. He set her down on her feet again and she immediately ran towards the water but then back-tracked as the water came in towards her. Her laughter carried all the way back to where Elena was sitting and she smiled at them.

As they played and splashed in the water, Elena was reminded of how Madelynn looked so much like Stefan, from her green eyes, her wavy hair, to her long fingers and toes. They had been so thrilled to have had her and then ecstatic when they had become pregnant again. She should have known that Stefan would find a way for them to have children together. Nothing seemed to be impossible for him. She wondered what the little one coming would be like. Would the baby be a boy this time? Would he look more like her? Would he be quieter than Madelynn?

Elena didn't know the answer to these questions and neither did Stefan. But the thing she did know was that this baby would be beautiful and perfect. Then a few years later, they would all come back here and she and Stefan would teach their children how to fish off the dock just like her dad had. This lake house would see her kids grow up just like it had seen her and has b