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Elena and Jeremy were talking to their father with pissed off expressions. Elena was confused as to why Katherine sat quiet, mostly because she was always the one with something to say. When Elena had told her Miranda turned up on their front porch, Katherine had frozen and not said anything. She had practically acted like Elena never said anything about their mother and changed the subject to the approach of school in two days.
"Why is she even in Mystic Falls?"
"Quiet!" Grayson yelled with a red face.
Grayson had never really yelled at his kids so it made them sit back with confused expressions. They all knew their parents were hiding something. There was no way their absentee mother showed up after ten years like nothing happened. Something was fishy and it wasn't their dinner.
"Now that I have everyone's attention I can tell you all what's going on. I filed for divorce from Miranda a while ago."
Elena felt like she had entered a parallel universe for a few minutes. Divorce? She had partly forgotten her parents were married. Grayson had been alone until recently and her mother was just never there.
"So she's not here to get you back or anything?" Jeremy asked with face with pain.
"No. We need to settle out some things. Of course, I'm keeping everything in Mystic Falls. The only thing is Miranda wants joint custody of you girls."
Elena's heart flew into her mouth and then jumped started right back into her chest cavity. She wanted to yell. How the hell could a woman want joint custody of daughters she left?
"Demons will make snow angels in hell before that happens." Elena said after she came back down to Earth.
"Elena." Grayson said in a warning tone.
"How can you seriously even consider this? No judge in their right mind would agree to this. There is no way in hell would I ever go spend time with her. She LEFT us. All of us. Am I the only one thinking about this?" Elena exclaimed to the household.
"No Lena. I haven't. I was eleven, I clearly remember everything. I remember letting you and Kat into my bed because you were upset over her leaving. I will never forget that." Jeremy said with a bitter tone.
Elena would never forget it either. She could forgive people easily, even her biological mother. She would never forget though. How could a woman give birth to a child and leave? She missed her first kiss, her first time, the first time she had gotten her period, her first day of high school, her first broken heart … she missed everything. What was her sudden interest in trying to get her now?
"I want you all just to consider talking to her. She is your mother."
"Hardly." Jeremy scoffed.
"She wants you all to go to lunch with her."
"Sorry, I have school." Elena said with defiance.
"Tomorrow afternoon, I'm sure you all can fit that into your schedules. School starts on Tuesday and lunch will be Sunday. Jeremy you have to go too."
"Dad!" Jeremy screamed in annoyance.
"You may be an adult but I am still your father. I want you to go. Whether or not you decide to continue to talk to her is your decision. Just have lunch with her." Grayson told his children.
"Alright." Katherine's voice spoke out suddenly.
'What the fuck?' Elena screamed out in her mind. Katherine remains quiet throughout all of this, which is unusual, and the first thing out of her mind is to agree to talk with the woman who went AWOL for a decade.
"Katherine, are you insane?" Elena exclaimed.
"No, I want to have lunch with Miranda." Katherine said with a face void of emotion.
Elena was getting worried about her, it was like she was going through something and would not talk to anyone about it.
"Kat, are you okay? You seriously act like I never told you she came back. Then all of sudden you want to see her. Is this about that picture?"
"How the hell do you know about the picture?" Katherine exclaimed through narrowed eyes.
"I have it!" Elena yelled.
Grayson and Jeremy were both confused. What picture were they even talking about? What was going on with the twins?
"Who the hell made you Queen of Mystic Falls and told you that it was alright for you to invade my privacy? That was my photo!" Katherine screamed with tears forming in her eyes.
"You hate her more than any of us! You make that known if anyone ever brings her up. So why are you so upset about a picture that has sentimental value concerning her? Seems to me as if you don't hate her as much as you would like everyone to think!" Elena shouted back, getting in her twin's face.
"You're right. I hate her more than everyone thinks," Katherine yelled jumping up from her chair and into her sister's face, "You think I want to talk to her. I never wanted to EVER see that bitch again. She left me in a world where I needed a mother. She never even gave a single thought to what could have happened if she left. I don't give a fuck why she did it, I only care how she could have done it. That's the only reason we have to talk. She can drive herself off a damn bridge and I would not bat an eyelash. I would spit on her grave in fact. So you don't have to go but I am. I'm giving her a piece of my mind in a public place so everyone can know what a horrible person she is."
Katherine stormed out of the kitchen and everyone heard the nearest bathroom door slam a few seconds later. Grayson sighed, sinking down into a chair. Jeremy was wiping tears off his face and looking at his baby sister.
"Lena, what picture were you two talking about?" Jeremy inquired.
"A picture from the zoo. It was right before she left. It's like the best memory of her that I have. One of the few I can actually remember. It was just the three of us. I found it in Kat's drawer a couple of years ago when I was looking for some mascara. I kept it for some reason, mostly because I was curious as to why Kat had it. She never asked about it so I figured she didn't even remember she had it."
"Lunch tomorrow you all. Please keep the drama to a minimum." Grayson said getting up and exiting the kitchen.
This had to be the most intense and awkward moment of any of their lives. Jenna, Jeremy, Katherine and Elena sat at in a booth with their mother and sister after almost eleven years. They all had already ordered and now they were all sitting in silence.
"So this place hasn't changed much." Miranda said awkwardly.
Elena let a giggle escape her lips. Jenna, Jeremy, and Katherine looked at her like she was crazy.
"I'm sorry. This is just too awkward. I laugh when things get like this."
Miranda smiled at her daughter nervously as Katherine just stared at her.
"So Jeremy I met your daughter. Mia, isn't it?" Miranda said trying to break the ice.
"Jeremia, she's named her grandfather Jeremiah. Everyone calls her Mia for short." Jeremy explained.
"She was a sweet girl and pretty too." Miranda complimented.
"Thank you. I have a son too." Jeremy said sliding a picture of Mia and Klaus across the table.
"He's beautiful. What's his name?"
"Niklaus but we all call him Klaus for short." Jeremy said with a small smile on his face.
"How old are they?" Miranda asked with genuine curiosity.
"Klaus just turned three last month and Mia is going to turn three in about three and a half months."
Miranda had a confused expression on her face. Elena could not help but smile. She was in for a story with her son.
"That's pretty close." Miranda said still smiling.
"Oh yeah. Klaus' mom is my ex, Anna and Mia's mom is fiancé, Mani. It's a long story."
Miranda just nodded her head and made no more comments to Jeremy's children situation.
"Elena, are you seeing anyone?"
"Yeah. I'm dating Jer's friend Damon. You remember the Salvatore's right?" Elena asked, ready to gauge her reaction.
"Wow. Yes, I do remember them. I heard about Giuseppe and I sent my condolences."
"Yea, Damon told me." Jeremy said surprising Elena.
"Isn't Damon about four years older than you?"
"He's Jeremy's age Miranda." Jenna said.
"Well I guess if you're happy then that's what matters."
"I like to this so." Elena replied with a smirk.
Elena looked over at her sister who was still staring at Miranda. Katherine had not said a word even when Miranda said hello to them. She had just nodded in acknowledgment. Elena was waiting for the other shoe to drop and Katherine would tear The Grill up in anger.
"So when's the wedding?" Katherine asked looking at her mother.
Miranda pulled her hand back from the table and pulled it up to her chest. Katherine just smiled in a semi-mocking way and Jeremy shook his head. Jenna looked at her sister and gave her a look that said 'oh you better get to talking.'
"Oh, it's not anytime soon. Maybe in March. He just asked."
"Tell us about him." Jeremy said with a slightly angry tone.
"His name is William. He's forty five."
"An older man. Wow." Katherine's voice said with sarcasm.
Elena nudged her sister with an elbow. Of course, when she spoke it was to start something up.
"Yes, he's two years older than me. Will is an engineer with a company in California. We've been dating for five years and he asked me to marry him about two months ago. He can't wait to meet you all, if that's alright with you all." Miranda explained with a hesitation.
"So he wasn't bothered by the fact that you tend to up and leave people? Wow, that's weird."
Elena's eyes went wide as saucers. She thanked God when their food arrived. Everyone immediately dug into their food. She snuck a glance at her sister who had not touched her food and continued to watch their mother.
"So California? Is it nice?" Jeremy asked his mother with a smile.
"Yea, it's nice. It does tend to rain a bit but it's not bad. I live in Berkeley. I'm a professor of psychology at the University of Berkeley."
"That's nice Miranda." Jenna said smiling at her sister.
"So it that where you went when you skipped town?" Katherine asked with a smile.
Elena knew she would do this for the rest of the lunchtime. Could they at least enjoy the free meal Miranda was paying for first before the claws were drawn out? Miranda looked taken back by her eldest daughter's comments but she was trying to make this lunch as good as it could be.
"No, I actually went to Connecticut. I have some friends there and I stayed there for a couple of years before I went to England. I went to California a year later and I've been there ever since."
"I guess our postcards got lost in the mail." Katherine replied with a shrewd tone.
"I see you're not giving this up Katherine." Miranda said.
"Why should I? You only just left my father with a broken heart and my siblings with no mother. I completely forgot about waking up to find no one making me breakfast downstairs after you promised to make me waffles the next day."
"Blueberry waffles." Miranda said with a sad tone.
"Oh, I remember too. I remember crying when Dad told me you weren't coming back either. It's too bad I really don't give a flying fuck anymore."
"Katherine, don't curse at your mother." Jenna said.
"Please, you all have been waiting for this moment. Lena has been watching me like a hawk since we got here." Katherine said rolling her eyes.
"I can understand your apprehension and anger-"
Katherine laughed. It was a shrill and evil laugh; Elena recognized it immediately as her take down laugh. Katherine had let out that laugh right after Rebekah slapped her over Stefan in the lunch line. Right after the laugh left her lips she launched at her and never looked back. She remembered pulling her sister off a whining and bleeding Rebekah.
"You couldn't understand it if I planted the memories into your head. You're the most selfish person I have ever met and that's saying something because I'm pretty selfish."
"Kat-" Miranda began to plead.
"Don't. Just don't. I waited for you to come back. Did you know that? Of course you didn't. Sixty five days, eighteen hours and forty three minutes. After that, I decided you weren't it anymore. I mean, obviously we weren't good enough for you. You went and traded up."
"You don't understand everything Katherine." Miranda said, her voice cracking with the impending sound of tears.
"I understand enough. Trust me on that one. Did you know I lost my virginity when I was fourteen? It was with some guy I barely even liked. Hell if I wanted to, I couldn't even remember his name. I wanted to talk to my mom so bad about it, but I couldn't. I guess that showed me huh?"
Elena was ready for yelling, not this. Katherine was pulling out the nukes and it was genuine emotions too. Jeremy looked ready to kill someone when she let out the virginity bit. Elena grabbed her sister's hand and laced their fingers together.
"I don't care why you left. But you were right on one thing. I don't understand everything. I don't understand how you could give birth to three kids, promise to love a man until death did you all apart and then leave? Please help me understand." Katherine said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"It was time for me to move on. I wasn't in the right mind to be around a man who loved me and children who relied on me."
"It doesn't sound like a horror movie to me!" Katherine quietly exclaimed with a painful manner.
"It wasn't. There were just things-"
"What things?"
"I had a miscarriage." Miranda said.
The entire table seemed to still. Time did not move for a few minutes and Elena felt her throat constrict.
"I had suspected I was pregnant for a few weeks. I finally got the courage to go to the doctor's. He confirmed it. The day I decided to tell your father, it happened. You all were at school and I had cramps all day. I was out at a flower shop. I had a pool of blood surrounding me and I barely had the strength to stand. The owner had to call 911. No one ever knew. I thought I could past it. I just told your father when I got the divorce petition. He cried, we both did. I'm happy though now. I won't apologize for that. I do regret missing things though. I missed you three with my entire soul."
"Was a letter or phone call too much to ask? I mean, how hard is it to pick up a pen or a phone? Explain this to me." Katherine exclaimed wiping her face with her free hand.
"Katherine, you will never know how sorry I am. I want to be here. I regret that it took your father divorcing me for me to actually having the courage to come back here."
"I applaud your effort." Katherine scoffed.
"Katherine, I'm staying here for a few weeks. I want to spend time with you all. All I'm asking for a chance." Miranda said.
"Excuse me if I need ten years to give you one." Katherine said pushing her siblings out of the booth.
They all watched Katherine stalk off. Elena exhaled. Nothing was ever as simple as people seemed to think. Miranda had a long way to go when it came to all of them, especially the oldest twin.
"Well, I can say this has been an eventful dinner." Elena said.
Stefan, Tyler, Wesley, Tim and Matt sat in a booth laughing.
"Ex alert." Matt sang and they all turned to see Rebekah strutting toward them.
Stefan rolled his eyes. His ex-girlfriend was always up to something. Today would be no different.
"Hey everyone."
"Hey Bex." Matt spoke, licking his lips at her.
"Hey Wesley." Rebekah said, leaning into him.
"How have you been Bex? Still being a bitch?" Wesley asked.
Rebekah laughed and spun her hair in little circles around her index finger.
"You could say that. It's been a while since I've seen you," Wesley nodded his head in acknowledgment, "It was like three years ago. The summer Stef and I broke up. You were pretty tightly attached to the Gilbert twin by the lips. Elena, wasn't it?"
Tyler coughed, trying to not choke on his drink as his eyes widened in surprise.
"Bex, you really need to sort out your twins. It was Katherine."
Matt looked back in forth between Rebekah and Wesley, and Stefan. Stefan felt the anger he rarely let out building up in his chest. Wesley and Katherine?
"Oh well. I know it was a twin." Rebekah said laughing.
"Plus, that wasn't anything too serious. Katherine was single and I was single. Seemed appropriate."
Okay, things were getting crazy now. Tyler watched as Stefan's knuckles went white as he held onto the glass in his hand.
"I guess. See you boys when school starts." Rebekah said waving.
Wesley turned back to the group with a wide smile. Everyone was staring at him.
"What?" He asked.
Stefan swung his fist and Wesley flew out of the booth.
Elena hugged Damon on his porch in a vice grip. Damon was just chuckling as he tried to pry him away from her.
"Lena, you need to go home. I'm pretty sure Jeremy would not have called you back there."
"He's not even home." Elena whined.
"Yea, but he will be." Damon reasoned.
"I just want to stay with you. Everything at my house is so downer-ish. With my mom being back, everything is tense and awkward. With you, I can just relax." Elena replied.
"I can't be your shield forever butterfly. You need to face things there."
"At least drive me. Care dropped me off and I have no intention of taking a cab."
"Fine, let's go." Damon said, practically dragging her to his car.
Elena pouted the entire way to her house. Damon continued to laugh at her as he drove.
"So, are you going to talk to your mom?" Damon asked his girlfriend with caution.
"I really haven't decided on it. Jeremy is talking to her, as you probably already know. I've said hello to her when Jeremy introduced her to Mani. I just might give it a shot." Elena informed him.
"I think you should."
Elena smiled at Damon even though he could not see her while he was driving. She played with his soft curls as he continued to her house.
"Do you?"
"Yea, I mean. My parents are gone. My Dad and I we weren't perfect but we loved one another. I've killed in retribution of him," Elena just stared because it was the first time he ever mentioned the men who had taken away his last parent, "My mom and I loved one another. It's just I don't want you to regret not talking to her one day. She could be dead in a flash."
Elena smiled at his sweetly. She kissed his cheek.
"You're sweet. Did you know that?"
"No, but thanks for notifying me."
Elena let out a small laugh. They pulled up to her house and Elena hesitated before turning back to face him. She gave him a quick but passionate kiss.
"What was that for?" Damon asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"You just always get everything. I love you for that."
"I guess it's your lucky day. I love you too." Damon told her with a teasing smile.
Elena pecked his lips before getting out of the car. She heard him pull away as she entered the house. The sound of yelling suddenly caught her attention.
"It didn't mean anything!" She heard Katherine yell.
"You make out with some guy a few days before we got together and it doesn't mean anything! Are you kidding me?"
Elena knew that voice. It was Stefan's.
"You were with Rebekah! Are you kidding me?"
"How do I know you weren't sneaking around with him after we got together? How can I trust you?"
"I love you, that's how!"
Elena approached the living room with caution. She could see them standing apart. Katherine had tears streaming from her face and Stefan's face was beet red.
"And how many guys have you said that too?"
Smack. The sound seemed to echo through the house. Katherine was shaking. Elena knew they were too heated to see her standing and watching them.
"You are blowing this out of proportion. I've loved you since as long as I can remember. You cheated on your girlfriend with me! Not the other way around."
"You were messing with so many guys. You could have just strung me along as long as you liked. You're probably doing it now!" Stefan shouted.
"I would never do that!"
"Yea, there's a lot some people say they would never do but they do it anyway. I can't believe you."
"Stefan, wait-" Katherine began.
"Save it. You're the most selfish and conniving bitch I've ever met. We're through."
Elena's eyes widened as she watched her best friend step away from her sister. Katherine looked like she was dying. Elena had half the mind to kick Stefan where it hurt for calling her sister a bitch. Stefan stopped on his way out when he saw Elena. He just nodded and stormed off. Elena watched him go but a loud thud forced her to look back toward her sister. Katherine was on the floor, sobbing and it looked as if she might throw up. Elena rushed over and pulled her sister into her arms.
"It's okay Kat. Calm down."
Katherine started to breathe quick and fast like she was having a panic attack. The sound of a door slamming made Elena look up. Jeremy stood there confused looking down at his baby sister holding his other baby sister who was sobbing uncontrollably.
"What the hell is going on?" Jeremy exclaimed.
Elena was wondering the same thing.
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-Nee (You can follow me on twitter to ask for hints or just talk about the story at Avery_sWorLd I will tweet back.)