Chapter 10

Elena woke up late in the afternoon. She was still wrapped in her towel, and she had a blanket over her as well. She expected her mother had done that. She got out of bed and she put on some underwear that she had lying in her old dresser. She walked over to the mirror and saw her bruises. She starred at them for a long time. She looked away when she started to feel sick. She put on an oversize t-shirt, a pair of sweatpants and some cosy socks. She went downstairs, but the house was empty. She made herself a sandwich and a cup of tea. She went into the living room and sat there and ate. It was starting to get dark out, but she decided to go have a look in the garden. She might not get a chance later, when her parents had sold the house. She put on her mother's winter jacket and some boots that stood I the closet. She suspected them to be Jeremy's old ones. She walked into the garden. No one had stepped in the snow yet. She walked over to the old swing set. It had been there for as long as she could remember. She sat down on one of the swings.

Even though it had gotten even darker, the lights from the house lit up the snow. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, kiddo," her father said and sat on the swing beside her.

"Hey," Elena sad and looked at her father.

"Was it a good party?" he asked her with a smile.

Elena wasn't sure what to say. She had an odd feeling about what had happened last night. "Yeah, it was great. Caroline and Carol really outdid themselves this year," Elena said trying to get the attention over to Caroline.

Her father laughed a little. "Yeah, I'm sure." They sat in silence for a minute or two. "I'm sorry, I let you down, honey," he said quietly.

She looked over at him. "You haven't."

"Yeah, I have," he said and got up from the swing and walked over to stand in front of her. "With my illness and everything."

Elena stood up. "That's not your fault." He hugged him. "I love being here in Mystic Falls with you guys."

"I love you," he said and kissed her on top of the head.

She leaned back a little to look him in the eyes. "I just want you around for as long as possible, then I don't care where you live." She smiled at him. She meant it. She just wanted her family happy and healthy, then it didn't matter where they lived.

He smiled at his daughter and put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go back in. It's getting a bit cold."

XXXXX

The next morning, Stefan and Caroline sat at the dining table having breakfast. Caroline sat with a catalogue and flipped through it. "We could get this for your mother" she said enthusiastically and pointed at a duvet.

"Mmh," Stefan said as I stared into the table. He was still thinking hard about what his older brother had told him yesterday. He had heard that Tyler had been inappropriate with other women, but he had never crossed the line with assault.

"Stefan!" Stefan looked up in shock. "Are you even listening to me?" She waited for him to answer, but he didn't answer. "This is your mother's Christmas present."

"Sorry," he said and took her hand. "That's looks great."

"You've been weird since yesterday, what's wrong?" She asked concerned.

Stefan wasn't sure if he was allowed to tell Caroline. Damon hadn't actually said he didn't want Caroline to know, and Caroline was his wife and he told her everything. "Damon told me something yesterday." He paused to wait for her reaction. She looked up at him, and he knew that he had her full attention. "Apparently, Damon brought Elena back here after the party-." Before Stefan could continue, he was interrupted.

"Oh, my God! That's great!" Caroline exclaimed. "About time they hooked up!"

"Easy," Stefan said with an amused expression. "It's not what you think." Stefan gave Caroline a serious look, and she sat down. "He brought her back here because…" He paused and took a breath. "Tyler assaulted her." He eyed Caroline carefully. She sat completely still for what felt like hours, then suddenly, she sprang up from her chair.

"What!?" She screamed. She paced back and forth in the kitchen. "I have to call her," she said and started looking after her phone.

Stefan stood up. "You can't," he said. Caroline gave him an odd look. "She doesn't remember and he hasn't told her yet," he said carefully.

"What?!" She said outraged. "How could he not tell her?"

"He will," he said and pulled Caroline into a hug.

"I can't believe him," she said into Stefan shirt. "He was always such a creep in high school, but I really thought that he had changed."

"It's not your fault," Stefan said and caressed her back. "It was your dad that hired him."

"My dad," Caroline said and pulled away. "I have to call him. Tyler can't work for him now that he has assaulted one of the employees. He has actually been looking for an excuse to fire him because he's been inappropriate with others at the office, but no one wants to step forward."

"So, I guess," Stefan said slowly. "You can call it a blessing in disguise?"

"I hate that it happened to Elena, but yes," Caroline said with a guilty voice.