After three days of doing nothing except making love, the return to normal life was was difficult.

All she wanted to do was stay in the mountains, with nothing around them except for the trees and lake, where all that mattered was each other. But the real world refused to stay at bay, and it would bang the door down if they didn't return when they said they would.

"You could just move in with me," Elijah suggested when they came to a stop in front of the mansion. "You spend enough time here that it would make sense and no one can say anything since you're eighteen now."

"I'd be with you and Ryan every day." Elena found herself liking the idea the more she considered it. Sleeping beside Elijah, being able to make love to him whenever the moment struck, instead of having to plan it, and being near her son all the time, she could definitely live like that.

"Perhaps we can wait until after the sacrifice, for your aunt's peace of mind."

"So she knows that she has me around for what she thinks might be the last few days of my life."

"Exactly."

Elijah darted around the car and opened the door. As he held out his hand, he tilted his head to one side.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"Caroline. Something's wrong with her."

Securing her to him, he raced to the sitting room where Caroline was pacing. Her normally polished appearance was disheveled and there were tear tracks on her face.

"What's going on? Caroline, what's happening?" Elena asked.

"My mom. She figured it out. She knows I'm a vampire!"

Elena let go of Elijah's arm and ran to Caroline's side, encouraging her friend to sit down. Elijah knelt in front of her, his concern for his latest creation spiking when he heard her words.

"What happened?"

"Matt told me that Mom was looking for vampires and started asking questions, so I should be careful. When I got home, she offered me a drink, but I recognized the smell of vervain and refused it. Then, she pulled out her gun and I ran."

"It'll be okay." Elena promised, her heart breaking for her friend. She'd hoped they would find a way to convince Liz before it came to this, that Caroline wasn't a monster, but with everything happening, it slipped down the ladder of importance. Or maybe, it was supposed to happen this way? No, she wouldn't comfort herself with that thought. Not every bad thing that happened in the first timeline was meant to happen in the second one, not unless she wasn't careful.

"We'll figure this out," Elijah assured her.

"Excuse me." Ryan knocked on the door frame. "The sheriff is here."

"Elena, you need to get back," Liz commanded.

"No." Elena stood in front of Caroline and crossed her arms.

"You don't understand."

"That she's a vampire?"

The sheriff nodded.

"She's your daughter."

"She was," Liz said, her expression shattering, tears filling her eyes.

"No, Sheriff, she still is. She's just a different species now. There's no demon walking around wearing her face. It's actually her," Elena said, keeping her voice soft.

"I wish I could believe that."

"It's true. The girl sitting behind me is the baby you gave birth to, the child you raised, the young woman you're so proud of. Yes, she's a vampire, but she's good. She fights to be good because she wants you to still be proud of her. She's still your daughter."

"What if you're wrong?" Liz whispered.

"I'm not. Look passed what you've been taught and think about how she's been since the car accident."

"She's been a vampire that long?" Liz's eyes went wide.

"She has. And I can't be the only one who's seen how good it's been for her. She's become the woman you've always hoped she'd be and it's because she now feels like she fits in her own skin!" Elena pleaded with Liz to see.

"Caroline has been a vampire for months."

"I have," Caroline said, her voice so small that Elena sat down beside her, hugging her close.

"Who turned you?"

"I did," Elijah said. "She was dying and Elena asked me to save her. The attack was successful, but my blood brought her back."

"You're a vampire as well?"

"I'm one of five Original vampires, the first vampires to ever exist and put that gun away. Your bullets won't kill me permanently. I'm not like these children you've been fighting." Elijah shifted so that he was sitting on the other side of Caroline. "I'm not here for a fight though. I'm here because of Elena. I love her and will do anything for her."

"Sheriff, please. Give Caroline a chance to prove she's still your daughter. She can stay with me or stay here if you need space to think, but don't turn your back on her because of prior experience."

Liz looked from the trio on the couch to Ryan sitting across the room.

"How do you handle it being around so many vampires?" she asked him.

"I'm not human either. No, I'm not a vampire. I'm just not human." Ryan ducked his head a little, a wry smile on his lips.

"I'm still me, Mom. I promise. Elijah and Elena have been great at helping me be good and I want to be good."

"Being a vampire doesn't make us monsters," Elijah said quietly. "We choose whether or not to succumb to the beast."

"I need time." Liz looked at Caroline, tears in her eyes.

"Please, Mom."

"I want to believe you. I just need time, and proof."

"Okay." Caroline deflated, her head hanging.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Klaus drawled from the doorway.

"Niklaus, if you could be so kind as to keep your opinions to yourself. I'm sure whatever it is you want to say will not help the situation in the slightest."

"I was just going to say that she's no one to be afraid of, so I don't know what the fuss is." Klaus made his way to the drink cabinet and poured himself a tumbler of bourbon. "This girl is probably one of the most controlled baby vampires I've ever met. You should be proud of her for how she handles herself."

Caroline gave Klaus a slight smile through her tears and he raised his glass in a salute.

When Elena saw this, she felt a small thrill of happiness go through her. At least today wasn't a total disaster. Klaus was good for Caroline, far better than Stefan. Because as good of a person as Stefan tried to be, and how he loved Caroline in her other life, he was Damon's brother. And Caroline deserved far better than to be bound to her rapist for the rest of her life. Besides, since they were excluding the Salvatores from everything, it wasn't likely that they would be on even remotely decent terms any time soon.

"I'll um… I need to get back to the office." Liz headed the door.

"Mom?"

"I need to think."

"If you're not going to trust your own daughter, you may want to stop trusting the Salvatores while you're at it," Klaus remarked with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, though the smirk on his lips was pure spite.

"They're vampires too?"

"They are. And unlike Caroline, Damon doesn't care who he hurts to get what he wants," Elena confirmed.

Liz shook her head several times, then started walking away once more.

"Mama, please."

"It'll be okay," Elena said, loud enough for Liz to hear as she hugged Caroline close. "She'll see that you're still you, that you're still her daughter, even if you changed species."

Liz glanced at Elena over her shoulder, her eyes filled with grief and confusion.

"Take your time, Sheriff," Elijah said quietly. "Just remember that she is your daughter and she loves you, dearly. You're the reason she's fought so hard for control, because she wants you to be proud of her."

Once Liz left, Caroline started crying again.

"She'll hate me forever."

"No, Caroline. Like I said, she just needs time." Elena ran her hand up and down Caroline's back.

"Even if she rejects you, you do have us," Klaus said, in an awkward attempt to comfort the sobbing girl.

"There's a room right across the hall from me," Rebekah said, her voice soft, as she entered the room. "I can get it set up for you to stay in, if you like."

Caroline nodded, more tears flowing. "She's my mom."

"It'll be okay. Just give her time. Let her work through the fact that not all vampires are bad and that becoming a vampire doesn't destroy who you are as a person."

"I need a shower."

"Come on, love. I'll get you some things to borrow until we can get you some of your own clothes." Rebekah gestured with her hand for Caroline to follow her.

The blonde women left the room and Elena leaned her head against the back of the couch.

"I can't believe I did that," she muttered.

"Did what?" Elijah asked.

"Forgot about how Liz would be when she found out that her daughter was a vampire. Caroline's my friend and now she's in pain because that little fact slipped down my list of things to do."

"You can't be expected to save people from every little bit of pain that comes their way, Elena." Elijah ran his hand up and down Elena's arm.

"I just wish I'd done something."

"She's your friend, so of course you want to protect her, but you've been dealing with a lot and she understands that, including that you're facing dying in a sacrifice to break my brother's curse. But, she knows that you'll stand by her and try to help her with this now."

Elena leaned her head against Elijah's shoulder and sighed heavily.

"You can't stop every bad thing from happening. Just because you know something can and probably will happen doesn't mean you can stop it."

Tears burned her eyes and she shook her head.

"She's my friend. I need to keep her safe."

"You've done more to keep her safe than anyone else has, including me."

"I know you mean well, but please, don't try to make me feel better right now. I failed her in this and I need to feel that."

She needed to be reminded that she wouldn't always succeed. Being a tool for the spirits of nature to wield didn't guarantee that she would win every fight. At least this one didn't result in someone dying, even while it was a kick in the ass to remind herself that she wasn't invincible. She'd gotten overly confident in her ability to subvert the other future, that this slipped through the cracks.

"Things happen, Elena," Klaus remarked, his voice surprisingly gentle. "You accept that you messed up and then you learn from your mistakes, then get up and move on."

"Did something happen?" Hayley asked as she walked into the room.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with," Klaus replied, raising an eyebrow in Hayley's direction, his blue eyes sparking with interest.

In her short shorts and loose tank top, she was definitely eye catching, but her body language said that she wasn't trying to get attention. But she was a beautiful, unattached woman, so why wouldn't he notice her? Then, there was Caroline, and Klaus seemed oddly kind towards her.

As she watched this, Elena couldn't help but wonder just how this would play out.

"Okay, just making sure. I saw the sheriff headed to her car and she was crying."

"She's dealing with a personal crisis right now. If it becomes and issue you need to worry about, we'll let you know," Elena said.

"Hey, Ryan." Hayley greeted him.

"Hi, Hayley. Excuse me." He nodded once, then he stood up, leaving the room.

"I'm beginning to think he's still uncomfortable around me."

"Please, don't be offended."

"If it was anyone else, I would be. But since it's him, I'll let it slide." Hayley smiled, then the smile faded and shook her head. "Poor guy."

The werewolf pulled a book off the shelf and sat down to read.

Once it was quiet again, Elena leaned over, resting her head on Elijah's thigh and he started combing his fingers through her hair.

Closing her eyes, Elena attempted to do as Klaus said and allow herself to work through what happened. As much as she wanted to save the people she loved, she couldn't control everything and everyone. All she could do was her best. What happened outside of that, all she could do was fight and trust that the people around her would help her.

Besides, not everything that happened in the other timeline was awful. Hell, it was the reason she was fighting so hard for Hope to have the family she deserved. Too bad her parents couldn't be told about the incredible girl who was going to love them forever. But if Klaus knew what he would be capable of once he broke the curse, he would assume that they were using him for his child, rather than wanting him to have good life with people who loved him. As for Hayley, Elena didn't know the werewolf well enough to know how she'd react. All she knew was that they'd both love their daughter so much, she couldn't wait for the miracle child to come into being and light their lives up.

"Are you going to fall sleep on me?" Elijah murmured.

"You're playing with my hair. If I go to sleep, it's you're fault."

"Niklaus is right, you know. Mistakes happen, even when you know what's coming."

"Yeah. It's just a different feeling, messing up. I haven't messed up like this in a while."

"No one's perfect."

"You try to convince everyone that you are."

"You know I'm still dealing with the issues created by the red door."

"You've got a good therapist and you're honest and willing to do the work, so I'd say that issue is getting cleared up." Catching his hand, Elena kissed his wrist. "You can talk to me about it, you know. I've cried on you enough, it's only fair."

"You two are so pathetic. I'm feeling the urge to kill someone to remind myself that I'm a vampire." Klaus's disgusted groan broke them out of their moment.

"We just promised the sheriff that we weren't trouble makers and if you do that, it will damage Caroline's relationship with her mother." Elijah sighed heavily.

"Save it for when you get to kill Mikael," Elena suggested.

"Very well." Klaus collapsed into a nearby chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. "I'll behave."

"Thank you."

"For now."

Later that evening, Elena paused outside the library when she heard Ryan and Caroline talking. Curious to know what they were talking about, Elena moved quietly so that she could spy on them, facing each other on the couch.

"How do you deal with it?" Ryan asked.

"I got involved with another guy and he did help me, but honestly, I think I should have stayed single and gone to therapy. Because once I no longer had Matt to distract me, it all came rushing back. It's gonna take a few months of intense work on myself, with help, before I can even think of getting involved with anyone."

"So, it's normal to not want to be around people who've expressed an interest in you in the past?"

"For me? Yeah, actually it is. So, don't be too hard on yourself. You and me, we'll get each other through what was done to us. Elijah and Elena have been awesome about helping me and being there, but Elena's now your mother and that makes Elijah pretty much your step-dad, so your relationship with them will be very different from mine, but don't be afraid to come to me if you've got something you need to talk about."

"Thank you."

Caroline leaned forward slowly and hugged Ryan tightly.

"Elena's right, you know. You're not alone," Caroline said as she leaned back.

"Neither are you."

"My mom, your creator, Damon, and what Malivore made you do." Caroline sighed

"But your mom will come around. I saw it in her face how much she loves you."

"Yeah. I guess what happened to me wasn't nearly as bad as what happened to you. Your creator's an evil bastard, but my mom always tried her best to be a good mom."

"Trauma is trauma. I can't say that you don't have the right to be affected by what happened to you, because it harmed you, mentally, physically, emotionally."

Caroline nodded.

"But knowing that you've been through what you've been through, it gives me hope that I can become like you."

"Be like you." Caroline poked him with her foot and they both laughed.

"You're strong, you're able to let people in, and you're open to getting into a relationship after everything, so that's how I want to be like you."

"Okay, I can accept that."

"But not for a very long time. I'm not ready for relationships like that."

"Oh, no. From what you've told me, you need to let yourself grow up first. Let your mind and emotions catch up with your body."

"Right now I do feel like a child in so many ways."

"Well, Bonnie and me, we'll be the best aunts ever and don't be afraid to come to us if you need to talk about anything you don't feel comfortable talking to Elena about. Trust me, talking to moms about anything of a certain subject you're not exactly comfortable discussing right now is really awkward."

Realizing that she was intruding on a conversation she wasn't supposed to hear, Elena knocked on the doorway and they both looked up at her. Ryan had a smile on his face and he was leaning against the arm of the couch, far more relaxed than she'd ever seen him.

"Dinner's ready, if you're hungry."

Ryan unfolded himself from the couch and walked over to Elena, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He was so much taller than she was that he towered over her.

Her beautiful boy, healing and becoming the man she knew he could be. Learning to open up and trust Caroline with the most vulnerable parts of himself, that was definitely a huge step for him and she wished she could tell him how proud of him she was. But she hadn't been supposed to overhear that conversation, so she kept quiet about it.

"How are you holding up?" Ryan asked.

"I'm doing okay. Why?" Elena rubbed Ryan's back. If she couldn't tell him how she felt, she could how him, at least a little."

"You'll be dying in a few days."

"I know, but Elijah has a way to keep me alive, so I'll be fine. I'm not worried. I'd just rather not think about it right now. Let's talk about something else."

Ryan kissed the top of her head and Caroline wrapped her arm around Elena's other side.

"How long do you think it'll take for my mother to come around?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to take it one day at a time. But she's your mom and she loves you."

When they arrived in the dining room, Elijah walked up to them, holding his hand out with a set of keys dangling.

"For you, Ryan. I thought you might like being able to drive yourself, rather than depending on one of us all the time."

"You got me a car."

"I did and it just arrived."

Ryan looked at Elena, as if silently asking for permission.

"Dinner can wait for a few minutes. Why don't we go see what he's got you?" Elena smiled widely.

Taking the keys from Elijah, Ryan hurried outside.

"When did you get it?" Elena whispered.

"While you were sleeping the other night." Elijah kissed the side of her head and linked their fingers as they headed out to help their son enjoy his new ride.

AN: I'm so sorry I'm late. I'm a trucker and they've had me hammering down.