My world was spinning out of control. As I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, I finally allowed a single tear to escape from the corner of my eye, a recognition that whatever Damon and I had was over. It hurt to know that somehow I was able to be everyone's rock through tragedy after tragedy, but my rock had faltered. My rock had slept with someone else at the first sign of a struggle. I could feel my chest cave into my body as the weight of my hurt was weighing down heavily on me. I closed my eyes and let the weight of my soul lull me to sleep.
I opened my eyes to be faced with a blue sky. I groaned as I could feel the hard cement underneath my back. I sat up hesitantly and took in my surroundings, slightly unnerved by the environment. I stood up and brushed the dirt off my clothes, and my heart sunk. I hesitantly walked over and touched the guard-rail. The guard rail that was literally the line between life and death for my parents.
"Elena…" a voice said from behind me. I turned around instantly to be faced with a familiar face. Her slightly wavy, light brown hair went just above her shoulders. Her hazel brown eyes were sparkling with love. The smile the woman before me was wearing was unmistakeable. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt and simple jeans, converse sneakers covering her feet.
"Mom?" I breathed, my voice cracking. She smiled and wrapped her arms around me. At first I was rigid, but her unmistakeable scent relaxed me. I immediately melted in her arms, my eyes now tearing like a waterfall.
"Shh…baby, I'm here..." she whispered into my hair. I hesitantly stepped out of her embrace, and she only smiled wider at me. Mom brought her hand up and lightly brushed my cheek with the back of her hand. I leaned into her touch, breathing in the moment.
"Mom, I miss you…" I whispered.
"I know baby, but I'm never far away," she said.
"I'm so sorry…" I breathed, nearly hyperventilating.
"For what, 'Lena?" Mom asked. I smiled slightly at the use of my old nickname. All I could do was step into her arms. She rubbed my back soothingly, and I begun to ramble.
"I'm sorry for going to the party – I wish I never blew off family night. Jeremy's the only family I have left!" I said, now sobbing.
"That's not true," Mom breathed.
"Do I have more parents?" I asked, rolling my eyes and nearly afraid of the answer. Mom chuckled lightly and stroked my hair. Much to my dismay, she put both hands on either of my shoulders and pulled me away to look at me.
"No sweetheart, there are only 5 of us…" she joked lightly, wiping a tear away with her thumb. "But Jeremy is not your only family. You are forgetting about the countless other people who would literally lay their lives down on the line for you – and most of them have." Instantly, thoughts of Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, Alaric, Stefan and Damon came to mind.
"But you and Dad left me and Jeremy. My biological mother is a vampire. Uncle John is my biological father…and Jenna got turned into a vampire and then was sacrificed!" I spilled. I was now pacing up and down the sidewalk of the bridge, saying everything I needed to before I woke up. "I fell in love with a vampire…and then I fell even deeper in love with his vampire brother. But the vampire brother slept with his compelled ex because he thought I was getting back together with Stefan, but I wasn't. Stefan wanted to, but I don't want Stefan – I want Damon! And Caroline's a vampire. And Bonnie's a witch. And Tyler's a werewolf, and Alaric, Aunt Jenna's boyfriend, is Isobel's ex husband…by the way, Damon is the one that turned Isobel!" I breathed, looking to my silent mother for a word of support.
Much to my surprise, she was smiling. "Amazing, isn't it?" she asked.
"What?" I asked, baffled at the question she chose to ask after my supernatural confession.
"I said it's amazing." Mom said.
"What's amazing?" I asked, confused.
"That no matter how supernatural your problems are, the love of a boy is what it always comes down to." Mom announced.
"I should hate him." I admitted, looking out onto the lake.
"Love and hate…such a fine line…" a different voice said from behind me. I turned around and my heart leapt at the sight of the man approaching my mother and I.
"Daddy!" I yelled, as I ran into his waiting arms. He spun me around like he did when I was a child. The tears were now running relentlessly down my face. My mother wrapped her arms around my dad and I and I inhaled this moment.
"Hi baby," Dad whispered into my hair, kissing the top of my hair. He too pulled me back to look at me. "You get more and more beautiful with time darling," he said with a smile evident on his face.
"You were saying, Grayson?" Mom prompted, nudging Dad in the ribs slightly. He wrapped his arm around my mom and pulled her closer. Mom rested her head on his shoulder as both of them looked at me with loving eyes.
"Remember what your mother and I told you when you were growing up? Not everything is in black and white, there are shades of grey. Just like how not everything is good and bad, love and hate…" Dad started.
"Just because your father and I are dead, doesn't mean we don't pop in every once in a while to check up on you and your brother, we see the way you looked at Stefan – and we see the way you look at Damon. There's no comparison," Mom stated. I smiled slightly, as I considered this. When I looked at Stefan, all I could feel was admiration and appreciation that this amazing man was mine. When I look at Damon, my heart leaps at the sight of him in anticipation for the next time his lips are on mine or his arms are around me. Just being within 10 feet of Damon is intoxicating. "Elena, love is…"
"Complicated…" Dad finished. Mom looked at Dad with love in her eyes and smiled before speaking again.
"Always interrupting me…" Mom rolled her eyes in a playful manner but all he did was kiss her temple. "The bottom line is that even if you have a thousand reasons to walk away, love means that you'll always look for that one reason to stay."
"One look at your mother, and she was my reason. Despite her shopping sprees and her negativity about sports…" Dad mumbled slightly. I couldn't help but laugh at their banter towards each other…it reminded me of Damon and I. With that, a fresh stream of tears rolled down my cheeks.
"If I stay with Damon, I'm giving up my humanity…he's not the type of man you walk away from if you can help it. There's no way I could fall in love with a human and get the human experience of a marriage and a family knowing that Damon is still out there somewhere…" I said, defeat lacing my voice.
"Sweetheart, it's not impossible to get all those things…" Dad said quietly.
"Daddy, he's a vampire…I can't…Damon Salvatore isn't the type of man to put a ring on it," I lifted my left hand to prove my point.
"But Damon Salvatore is the type of man to change and bend the rules for you…" Mom spoke.
"After what happened with Andie, I don't know if he loves me anymore…" I admitted, folding my arms across my stomach, as if to hold myself together.
"It's worth a try…" Dad whispered. I looked at both of them, but their gazes were now fixed on the setting sun. I followed their gaze, and despite the setting sun, there was a light beaming, and it was getting brighter.
"No…" I breathed, immediately running to my parents, hugging them as hard as I could.
"We have to go, Elena..." my mom whispered into my hair.
"No! Don't leave me…" I begged, sobs wracking through my body.
"Never…" Dad whispered. "Just promise us one thing…"
"Anything," I sobbed.
"Promise us that you and Jeremy will move on with your lives. Tell Jeremy that we love him, and we're sorry we broke him. Make sure you and your brother look after each other, and most of all…follow your heart." They said simultaneously. I opened my eyes to be faced with an empty bridge.
"No!" I cried out. I immediately fell to the ground, bringing my knees up to my chest and collapsing on my side. I lay there, in the middle of Wickery Bridge, sobs wracking through my body – and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly alone.
"Elena…" I could hear someone call. I could recognize this voice anywhere.
"Damon?" I called out, looking around anxiously. There was no answer.
"DAMON!" I shouted, now running down the bridge – following the direction of the voice I heard not moments ago.
"Elena! Elena! Wake up!" someone said, shaking me vividly. I forced my eyes open to be faced with a pair of worried, brown eyes.
"Jeremy?" I breathed, touching his arm. I looked around and realized I was back in my room. "Where's Damon?" I breathed, swinging my legs over the bed.
"Uhh…I don't know. I just got in the door when I heard you screaming bloody murder…" Jeremy muttered, helping me off the bed.
"I need to see him! Now!" I huffed, grabbing a pair of shoes from my closet.
"Wait, what was all that about?" Jeremy asked, gesturing towards the bed. I shook my head briefly, not wanting to forget the dream.
"Mom and Dad. I saw them. They're oaky, they're happy. They love you and they're sorry they broke you. They want us to look after eachother and follow our hearts…" I rambled, trying to find my other converse.
"I'm sorry?" Jeremy asked, completely confused. I rolled my eyes.
"I'll tell you everything, but I have to go!" I said, kissing Jeremy on the cheek before running down the stairs.
"Where?" Jeremy asked.
"To follow my heart!" I yelled as I ran towards my car.
MAJOR brain fart for this chapter. I hope you all liked it. What do you think will happen next? Please read and review…and I have another surprise for you guys. I'm working on a new TVD story (my wish list for Season 3, basically)…my own personal spin on the curse, what is happening with Stefan and most of all – where it all leaves Delena. Please check it out "Hanging by a Moment" .net/s/7141735/1/Hanging_by_a_Moment
READ AND REVIEW ALL. I LOVE YOU.