Present
Elena waits in the shadows outside of the Salvatore house watching through the living room window she can see Damon's brother, the baby, and the two men who accompanied Damon home.
She could understand their pain. She had known Caroline and while she did hate her for having Damon, she could see why people liked the blonde. She had this light about her. She actually cared about the people around her whether she knew them or not. She managed to look at the bright side of things. Elena hadn't been lying when she told Damon she and Caroline could be friends, she's sure in another life they could have she liked the blonde well enough and she was that annoying, but in this life, she wasn't a friend just an obstacle in her way. Well, it wasn't in her way anymore.
She moves carefully around the house mindful of where the stupid dog is. She didn't need it trying to give away her position to the men inside. She looks up and can see a light coming from Damon's window and she takes a deep breath and lets out a whistle, just like he taught her. Their signal for him to come to her.
'She's gone' goes through his mind on repeat. He can't process anything else all he knows is that it should have been him. 'God, it should be me. It's all my fault. She did nothing wrong. It's me. Take me. Bring her back.'
Damon closed his eyes tightly feeling the wetness trail down his face. He didn't want this. Not without her. He should have said no. Should have planned for a night.
He could almost picture her getting ready. Could see them together laughing at the dining room table drinking wine and eating dinner there rather than in the city. He would pull out her chair for her. They would talk about their day first. They always did. She would tell him something funny that Bonnie had managed to do that day. He would laugh with her noticing the way her eyes lit up. He would tell her he loved her one more time. His eyes would stay on her as he left the room to get dessert. She would somehow manage to steal the food off his plate till he gave in and offered his fork to her. He pictured how she tried to feed him a grape earlier that day but instead, it was a strawberry dipped in chocolate from the German chocolate cake they were enjoying. He would use his thumb to put some chocolate on her nose and watch as she tried to pout when she really wanted to laugh. Saw as she would get even somehow by brushing her thumb over his cheek or forehead or someplace ridiculous. How their playfulness would lead to another kiss between them. How he would lead her upstairs giddy and smiling eager to lay in each other's arms. He would take care of her first. Show her how much he cared about her. Show her how beautiful she was. How he loved her. Then he would her in his arms as her head laid on his chest listening to his heart.
Damon opened his eyes and sobbed as he saw the empty bed. She was gone. He couldn't laugh with her. Couldn't talk to her, couldn't hold her.
He wipes his tears and reaches for his hair with both hands tugging on his locks.
He hears a soft whistle from outside and freezes. Elena is still here. She's alive. She's alive!
Damon's sorrow disappears and a blank look falls on his face. His eyes deadly as he rises to his feet.
She's alive.
His arms fall to his side, his hands' clench, as he walks down the stairs one step after the other. His mind reeling. Elena is alive. Caroline isn't.
He finally reaches the back door and opens it looking at the woman who ruined everything.
"Damon?" Elena spoke softly looking at the rage in his black eyes.
Damon took a step forward. She's still alive.
"Damon stop," Elena commands taking a step back. Then another as he kept taking a step closer.
Damon growls his arms rising to grab her. Elena's eyes widen and before she knows it, she was running with Damon on her heels.
Stefan nodded mindlessly as Kol explained how he was woken by his brother and how he called for help. He heard Logan telling him how he got Meredith and rounded members of the B&B to help find her. He heard how they searched for her.
She had been lost at sea and he didn't know. Why didn't they wait till after the storm to come back home?
"It's not their fault. The storm came out of nowhere." Kol said softly patting Stefan on the back.
"Pa," Bonnie mumbled again. She had been asking for him since he went upstairs. Stefan just hugged her, brushing his fingers through her hair. Everyone had always said that she looked like his brother with her dark hair and blue eyes, he even had his nose, but Stefan saw Caroline in her with the way she laughed, her curiosity about everything, those blue eyes that everyone said made her look like Damon had specs of green around the iris in the light that looked just like Caroline's did. Bonnie had dark hair, but it was also wavy like Caroline's and with each day it was becoming lighter. He was sure that when she was older her ebony locks would lean more towards dark brown.
She was perfect. Just a baby with no idea of what was going on around her. He didn't know how he or Damon would be able to tell her. Would she even understand? Stefan didn't think so. She would call for her mother and when she didn't come, she would cry till eventually, she wouldn't call her anymore. Would she forget about her? No. Stefan shook his head. He would make sure of it. He would tell her everything he knew about her mother. His best friend. His sister. He would tell her how she loved to sing to her lullabies each night. How she loved animals mostly dogs and horses. How she became the strong bright woman that took care of her. How she poured every part of herself into everything she did. How her nose wrinkled in confusion. How her eyebrows furrowed in anger or annoyance. He would tell her everything.
He would be there for Bonnie the way Caroline was there for him. He would be there for Damon as well knowing how his brother would fail to take care of himself without her.
He places a kiss on the babe's head and turned to the men. "Thank you, for doing everything you could."
"We all cared about Caroline." Logan said softly looking at Bonnie, "I remember when Caroline was a little bigger than Bonnie. Liz would take her down to the station when she took Bill lunch then would take her for a walk around the square. She wouldn't really walk. She ran. Her and Meredith used to have sleepovers and play dates all the time."
Stefan nodded smiling, "You used to babysit her."
Logan laughed, "Yeah, she was trouble, but in a good way. She and Meredith dragged me to their tea parties. Hide and seek, tag, everything."
Kol smiled as he cleared his throat, "She used to volunteer to stay after school to help Bekah read. She gave Bekah a lift home several times when I couldn't pick her up. Bekah would go on and on about how she would ride a horse with Caroline."
Stefan smile trembled as he blinked away the tears, "The first time I saw Caroline I think we were both five about a few days before we would go to school with Ms. Sommers. She took one look at me when our parents introduced us and said that boys were 'icky' and if I promised not to show her any of my boogers then we could be friends. I laughed at her and poke my nose. She let out a shriek like she was being murdered and ran towards the other girls. She didn't talk to me for a long while after that."
The men's laughter was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Kol stood up. "I can get it."
Stefan shook his head rising, "I can go."
"We'll all go," Logan said rising and the three men walked to the front door. Logan opened being closer.
Stefan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked at the group of people at the door. A beautiful blonde drenched from head to toe. Rebekah. A brunette doctor with a stethoscope around her neck and a leather bag in her hand. Meredith. The Sheriff and his wife. Matt and Lexi. And Mason Lockwood with a wet and pale blonde in his arms.
"Ma!"
Stefan's heart clenched.
"We found her," Matt spoke softly.
We found her.
"Damon stop," Elena yells out as Damon catches up to her grabbing her. He pulls her to him her back on his chest.
"She's dead. She didn't deserve to die." He says emotionless as his hands move to her neck choking her.
"She didn't deserve to die."
Elena struggled to breathe her hands reaching up trying to pry his hands off her.
"Damon please."
Damon glares as he lets go watching as she drops to the ground. "You ruined everything."
Elena blinks her arms wrapping around herself in protection, "What are you going to do to me."
Damon laughs and Elena shudders his eyes look darker if that could even be possible.
"I should kill you."
"DAMON!" the pair can hear Stefan yell in the distance, but they ignore him. This conversation being long overdue.
"You can't. Your upset, but we belong together. You'll get over her. I'll help you. We can leave here together."
"I don't want you. I never did."
"You do." She assures.
He laughs, "No, I really don't. You're nothing to me. Not like she was. You're a mistake. That's all."
"You can't leave me. You can't kill me."
"Death is too easy for you besides I know you, Elena. You're not scared of dying you're scared of being alone. Your own brother left you. I was the only thing you had left. The only person you had left. Not anymore. We aren't friends. We're nothing -"
"DAMON!" That yell was closer. Stefan had probably come out to look for him.
"You are nothing. You are going to leave. Leave this town. You are not wanted here. I doubt you're wanted anywhere."
"No," she shakes her head, "You love me."
Damon pulls her to her feet and leans in making sure to look right into her eyes. "Goodbye, Elena."
We found her.
"Caroline. Is… Is she -"
Matt nods a wide grin on his face, "She's alive."
Stefan stares at her. She's alive. They found. She's alive.
"She hit her head, but she's breathing steady we need to get her inside she was out in the cold for too long," Meredith tells him.
Stefan nods moving out of the way allowing them to enter.
"Ma," Bonnie says again reaching out towards Mason and Caroline.
"We need to get her out of her wet clothes. Rebekah should probably change too." Meredith says motioning towards the blonde girls.
"Her room's upstairs. She can borrow something from Caroline's closet," Stefan tells the doctor. The women nod and Meredith makes her way up the stairs towards Caroline's room everyone trailing behind her. She stops at the doorway to Caroline's bedroom and turns, "Only Caroline and Rebekah. All of you must wait downstairs."
"No. I have to be here."
Meredith shakes her head, "I'm sorry Stefan. Once we change her and I run some tests I'll go let everyone know. I swear she's safe. Stefan, she's home. She's not going anywhere."
"Mama." "What about Bonnie?"
Meredith hesitates, "She can stay."
Stefan was outside trying to find his brother when finally, he saw him in the distance. "Damon." He yells rushing and meeting him halfway.
"She's alive. She's home."
Damon gasps, "She's home."
"They found her. I don't know how, but they found her. She's upstairs – ", Stefan trails off as he sees Damon running towards the house.
Damon pauses as he peaks through the door taking in Caroline laying on their bed covered in blankets. His breath hitches she looks like she did in his dream. Pale with blue lips. Stefan said she was alive.
"Damon?"
Damon turns his gaze to Rebekah who is sitting in a chair by the bed with Bonnie in her lap. Bonnie who kept looking at Caroline as if expecting her to wake up at any moment.
"How… How is she?"
"Meredith said she needs to warm up and she may have a concussion. She scraped her head a bit, we won't know till she wakes up.
Meredith left with Logan and Mason to get more firewood."
"She will wake up. She will, right?"
Rebekah hesitated, but nodded, "She should. She should stay in bed though and eat warm meals. Lexi and Matt are making her some soup downstairs for when she wakes up."
Damon walks closer to Caroline her arms are under the blanket. He raises his hand to touch her face. She's cold, but she's here. His hands move to her neck and he can just make out her pulse slow but steady.
"I should go downstairs with the others. I was just waiting with her so she wouldn't be alone." Rebekah tells him handing him Bonnie who smiled when she was finally in her father's arms.
"Rebekah," Damon calls out as she was heading out the door, "Thank you."
Rebekah smiles, "We're all going to be here for you if you need us."
Damon nods as she leaves and moves to his side of the bed with Bonnie. He places her above the covers and watches as she crawls over to Caroline laying down on her chest.
"Mama."
Damon looked at his two girls. He wanted to lay down with them, but he should change. His clothes were still damp and dirty from earlier. He smiled as he moved to the restroom and saw Caroline's clothes from earlier on the floor inside the shower and his coat jacket that he gave her hung on the door. His wallet and the envelope from earlier with their photos were on the counter.
He had a pair of pajama pants under the cabinet under the faucet where they kept the towels. He quickly changed jumped in the shower and jumped out making sure to dry himself completely and putting on his clean pants. He went back out seeing that Bonnie hadn't moved from her place on top of Caroline. The baby was holding onto a strand of Caroline's hair babbling.
He grabs a shirt from the closet and pulls it over his head then climbs into bed with his Blondie and his Bonbon. He slides in under the covers and holds then waiting till she wakes up.
Stefan makes his way down the stairs. He had gone up to check on them but decided not to interrupt as he saw the family huddled in bed together. He smiled everything was going to be okay, he knew it. Caroline was alive she just had to wake up. She was going to wake up.
He reaches the living room and looks around seeing all their friends and neighbors giving their support. He wouldn't be surprised if all the townspeople came over tomorrow each with a pot of soup or get well flowers and gifts for the family.
He moves to sit on the couch next to Rebekah who was listening to Kol, Logan, and Mason talk. Kol was leaning on the couch next to his sister while the other men were sitting on the couch adjacent. He took in the bright fireplace and the pile of dry logs next to it. Meredith must have gotten them from the barn. They kept extra lumber there.
"Where did you find her?" Stefan asks and the room quiets down everyone turning to look at Rebekah.
Rebekah hesitated shyly from the attention before she spoke, "…I couldn't give up hope. I know the tides… I went around the Point…"
Rebekah tells the men the unfortunate news hearing several gasps. She turns to the doctor next to her. "Mer, I think he's in shock."
Meredith nods tears building up in her eyes as she turns to her brother.
"Logan can you help him get home, he needs to eat something, and Stefan should watch him and be made aware too."
Rebekah looks as Logan and her brother drag Damon away. She had to do something. Damon said that he tied a bundle of bulrushes to Caroline even if the bundle managed to come undone, she knew Caroline would have been able to hold on to them. Caroline also knew how to swim. She has gone swimming with me before while the boys were fishing. I've told her what she should do should she ever be caught by the tides.
The tides should have brought her back near shore, like Damon… The storm must have pulled her in the other direction.
She looked at the people somewhere heading back home others were still searching the shore. She held her dress in one hand as she went back to her rowboat and got on.
"Rebekah where are you going?"
She looked up and nodded at the brunette as she started rowing, "I'm going to find her."
"Rebekah come back! You can't go alone."
"I can do it Mer I'll be back." She yells back rowing faster away from shore.
She knew the waters better than anyone in town. Better than all the other fishermen. She would find Caroline and bring her home.
Rebekah rowed and rowed the water steady underneath her. She paused as she thought she saw something. She let go of the oars and grabbed her lantern.
Caroline was floating face down in the water.
Without thinking she put the lantern down and dived into the water expertly swimming over and wrapping an arm around the woman. She pushed her onboard then pulled herself up. She grabbed Caroline's wrist and frowned as she couldn't feel a heartbeat. She moved her hands to her mouth and opened it trying to see if anything was blocking her airway. Nothing. She put her hands on the center of her chest and started compressions for a minute then paused and checked if she was breathing. He could feel her breathing softly through her nose, but she had to check twice to make sure. She checked her pulse. It was faint but it was there. She had to get her back to Meredith. Quickly.
"I brought her back to shore and had Meredith check on her. Once she confirmed she was okay we came straight- "
Rebekah stopped as she was pulled into Stefan's arms hugging her. "Thank you." He told her pressing a kiss to her cheek causing the blonde to redden.
She nodded looking at him shyly till Kol cleared his throat glaring at the couple who were still holding on to each other.
Stefan reddens and lets her go, knowing how protective the Mikaelson brothers were of their own.
The next day is still the same in the countryside. There are farms and ranches. The local watering hole is still there. As is the town square and church. As is the chirping of birds. The call of the rooster outside. The clucking of hens, the neighs of horses, the 'Oinks' of piglets.
Although despite all these similarities to days gone past there are still some changes as even in a simple town change is a part of life.
It is a new day for the family. The storm has passed the sun is rising above the horizon and the wife Caroline, husband Damon, and the beautiful little baby, Bonnie are united once more. The unhappy times have passed. As they waken one by one.
Caroline opens her eyes slowly. Her head hurts a bit and she's sweating. Why is she sweating? Her eyes adjust as she takes in the mountain of blankets on top of her and the two warm bodies of her husband and baby all cuddling together on the bed. She pushes a couple of the blankets off her careful not to wake her family and sits up.
How did she get in bed? She remembers being in a boat with Damon as he rowed home from their date in the city and then nothing. She must have fallen asleep.
"Mama."
Caroline looks at the cute baby who is climbing onto her lap.
"Mama!"
"Hi, baby. Hello." She watches as Damon groans opening his eyes looking at her with a confused expression on his face.
She chuckles as the baby starts babbling to her loudly hugging her.
"Sorry if we woke you," Caroline tells him softly watching as his eyes widen in surprise.
"Blondie?"
She gives him a strange look but is stopped from responding as he hugs her and Bonnie to him.
"I love you. I love you so much. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"I love you too?" she tells him slowly not sure what exactly brought this on.
Damon pulls away from her and kisses her cheek. "How are you feeling? Are you okay? I should get Meredith. Stefan too he will want to see you."
"Meredith? I'm fine Damon. What's going on?"
Damon's eyes widen, "What's the last thing you remember?"
Her brow furrows curiously but she tells him anyway surprised as he kisses her again and gets out of bed. "Caroline, we got caught in the storm you almost died. I thought you were dead. Rebekah found you and brought you home."
"What? I'm fine."
Damon nods, "You are fine. I'll be right back just trust me all explain everything."
Caroline nods watching as Damon leaves and continues to play with Bonnie surprised when Damon comes back with Meredith and Logan Fell as well as Matt and Lexi the latter with a bowl of warm soup and the former with a glass of water and Stefan who's smiling but eyes hold a worried look.
She stays silent as they all tell her everything that happened last night. How everyone was so glad she was alive and how they missed her. She listened to Meredith ask her questions and check her vitals to make sure she was okay. She tried to answer all the questions that Damon was asking her to see how much she remembered. She remembered everything up on till the storm came but after hearing of how she almost drowned she figured not remembering was a blessing. She was alive with people who cared about her.
And so, the unhappy times are truly gone. The road ahead will remain sometimes bitter and sometimes sweet, but right now The sun's brilliant light shone on the Salvatore farm.
…
"Wait! What happened to The City Woman with her short dark chestnut brown hair?", you ask. She packed her bags and fled, and the B&B was left with an open room.
Elena frowned as she shoved her belongings into the carriage looking at the wretched town. Her plans failed, her brother was gone, the only thing left for her to do is go home. To flee back to The City, she came from.
Alone.
FINI
A/N
Finally I can't believe this is over. I really loved writing this story and I'm so glad you guys liked it and enjoyed it with me.
I will go back and edit this but only for grammar purposes so don't worry this story will remain as is. I am still working on different moments for Before Sunrise maybe I'll hear from you guys over there, if not that's okay too.
So for the last time I would like to thank all of you for your support.
Thank you, daroline, Cheerygirl014, Miss Mystic Falls, zpire, Roswellian1984, and Arrowfan. You guys are awesome and I can honestly say that seeing that email alert telling me of a new follower of new review made me so happy so thanks for that too.
~ Agent C.