The next morning I woke up still scared about staying. Risking Damon was the worst possible thing I could think of. I didn't take it well when those I loved were threatened and with my father coming back to town to get rid of me was a distinct possibility.
"What do we do?" I asked quietly. He was awake too, he was holding me tight and I didn't want him to let go.
"We talk to my mom. You helped her so she's going to be the more open minded of the two of my parents. My dad will be okay with it too but it'll be better to go through my mom first." Damon decided. I nodded still terrified at the prospect of staying in a place that I was not wanted. My dad would do everything in my power to make sure I was no longer here. The betrayal still stung horribly. I couldn't believe that the man who had protected me had been undermining my safety the entire time. I focused my hearing and heard Damon's dad conveniently leave to go pick up breakfast for everyone. I almost laughed when Lily reminded him that I was here yet again in the morning. I could almost picture Mr. Salvatore rolling his eyes at the comment.
"It would be a good time to do that now, your dad just left to pick up breakfast." I told him with a sigh. I didn't want to complicate his family's life. I was complicated personified.
"Okay." Damon agreed. We dressed in silence and walked downstairs hand in hand. The only way I was even entertaining the idea of staying was if we could convince Damon's parents that I wasn't dangerous. If I couldn't convince them, then Caroline and I would be gone.
"Good morning you two. I know I should be concerned that you're spending so much time together and spending so many nights together but I assume you're being responsible. I just got my sanity back, it's no time for grandchildren." She teased and we both laughed hollowly.
"I was just teasing, I hope by now you both know how to be safe. So what's wrong?" She asked concerned now.
"We need to talk to you, mom. It's important so maybe you should sit down." Damon said and she sat and pursed her lips.
"You're not pregnant are you? It's far too early for that and I still want my son to go to college and get out of Mystic Falls." She asked worried.
"I'm not pregnant, it's actually bigger than that. So you know how you were cured from your disease? Do you remember anything about that night?" I asked her.
"I remember an angel telling me that I wasn't going to be ill any longer. She was beautiful. She looked a lot like you come to think of it." She said with a question in her voice.
"That's because it was me. I cured you, Mrs. Salvatore." I told her and her eyes widened and she shook her head.
"I don't understand. How could you cure me? Doctors couldn't, so how could one normal teenage girl?" She asked and I sighed.
"I'm not a normal teenage girl. I'm a vampire Mrs. Salvatore. I used mind control to cure you from your affliction. I knew it hurt Damon to see you so ill all the time and I wanted to do that for you." I told her.
"Did you know she was a vampire?" She asked Damon. She seemingly went straight to believing me and asking her son about it. That was one big step we got to skip thankfully.
"I did and I still love her. It was hard to get past at first but then I realized that she's still the girl I fell in love with except that she did the impossible for us. She fixed you so you can be my mom again. Don't hold something that wasn't her fault against her, please." Damon implored and she sighed.
"Someone who is a danger to us wouldn't have saved me like that, so I believe that you're good. But why are you telling me this now? Wouldn't it have just been easier to let me believe that you're human and normal forever? You've been doing such a good job of it." She asked and Damon took my hand.
"Elena is in danger. Her father doesn't want her living in Mystic Falls and he's going to come here and remove her by force if necessary. I don't want her to leave. I'm in love with her, mom. I need her to stay here with me." Damon explained.
"So what are you planning?" She asked.
"We need as many people in town to believe that she's good and safe. Her dad is coming to town next week and if she's still here he's going to turn the entire town against her and Caroline. She'll be killed. You know how the town is about vampires." Damon said.
"So you're plan is to tell everyone what you are and convince them that you're not dangerous. What happens when your father shows up and notices that his plan won't work?" She asked.
"We don't know. I don't know how far he's willing to go to get rid of me. Just know one thing, he won't ever have a chance to target Damon. I won't allow it. Damon is the most important person in the world to me and I won't let anything happen to him." I vowed.
"That's all I needed to hear. You most definitely have my support. You'll also have your fathers. He'll see it the same way I did." She told us and I smiled and thanked her.
After we talked to Damon's dad who took a little more convincing we drove back to my house.
"So what are you going to tell Caroline?" Damon asked as we drove.
"I'm going to tell her that we're staying here. She's going to be so happy." I told him as we walked up the front walk. When we walked in the front door all we could hear were Caroline's sobs and Tyler comforting her in the living room.
"Care?" I asked when we joined her.
"I didn't think you were going to be home for a while. I just needed to get it off my chest." She said wiping her eyes.
"So you guys are really going to let your asshole father run you out of town?" Tyler demanded.
"If you'd just simmer down and let me speak I'd tell you what's going to happen." I said back. I wasn't overly fond of Tyler but Caroline was so I had to tolerate him.
"Why do you get to make all the decisions? Shouldn't it be Caroline's choice if she stays or goes?" He demanded.
"Tyler, no." Caroline said.
"Why the hell not? Why is she your boss? You're old enough to make your own choices too." Tyler said again and I rolled my eyes.
"Listen to me, Caroline has every right to make her own choices if she chose to stay then that would be her choice, but…" I started.
"Elena no, you and I are a package deal. I go where you go. If there was any other way we wouldn't have to leave, but there clearly isn't." Caroline told me and I reached across to take her hand in mine. I offered her a small smile before leaning forward.
"Now if you'd let me finish, we're not going anywhere. We're not letting my father destroy the only happiness I've known in so long. You're happy here, Care, and I'm happier than I've ever been. That's far too much to give up." I told her. Her elated smile told me that she was officially happier than she's ever been as well.
"We're staying? But how? What about your father?" She asked, her eyes watery again.
"We'll deal with it. Right now our plan of attack is to make sure everyone knows we're vampires and that we're safe. Then he can't turn the entire town against us. It'll be just him and whatever army he brings with." I told her.
"Are you sure it's not too much to risk? I don't want you to make this choice that you think is wrong just because of me." She asked and I shook my head.
"You were a part of it, but I am happy here and he shouldn't be able to take that from us. We're not going to let him." I vowed. Caroline smiled before launching herself across the table to hug me.
"I knew there was a reason that you're my best friend in the whole world, Lena." She said and I laughed and held her tight. It wasn't going to be easy but there wasn't much Caroline and I couldn't do together.