A/N: There is a bit of a dream/flashback in this update, which I thought would be interesting to include. Thank you all for the amazing reviews you keep giving me! Yes, Lily is a bit spoiled. Just the way should be though :D
As for Derrick. Is he dead or isn't he? Did she see him or didn't she? Hmmm …
Please enjoy this update and let me know what you think!
"I'm gonna go see the horsies!" Lily said excitedly as soon as she hopped out of Stefan's car.
"Hold on. I'm going to let Elena know we're back and then I'll go with you" Stefan said, locking his car and heading for the house. He never liked to let her go back there by herself.
Lily took off skipping toward the path, on a mission to see the horses and feed them the gummy worms that she had picked out of her ice cream and stuck in her pocket earlier. The rain began to make an appearance, though it was rare for this time of the year. Lily didn't seem to mind though. It provided some relief to the sweltering heat that the day had brought.
Drip. Drip. Drip. That's what she felt when she woke up. It was the roof again, leaking. But he wouldn't put in a request for maintenance to come and look at it. Even when she had asked, he always had the same answer for her. No. Because she didn't deserve the luxury of having a roof that didn't leak. She wasn't worth the time and effort it would take to fix it. If only she could be more deserving. But she wasn't. And that's why no one else would want her. Ever.
He was passed out again as she slowly, painfully pulled herself to sit up on the floor. On the couch, a beer bottle hanging out of his hand. Run. That's what her heart was screaming at her as it beat relentlessly against her chest from the memory of what he had done to her. It hadn't been that bad this time. She had passed out quickly from the blows. She was lucky.
There was a faint knocking sound at the door. She looked that way. No one ever knocked on her door. She looked back at Derrick who was still passed out, the knocking not bothering him at all. Slowly, and still painfully, she made her way through the rundown apartment to answer the door. On the other side of it was the most beautiful little girl she had ever seen. Brown eyes, long brown curls. Lily.
A choked gasp escaped her. She wanted to scream at Lily to run, to get away from there. But nothing came out. Instead, the little girl stood still, her worried eyes locking with hers. No. She had to do something. She had to get Lily out of there.
A sharp, high-pitched screech sounded through the air, making Elena jump. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling her head resting on the ground. A sharp pain pulsated through the right side of her head. Her vision was blurry, but she could see someone running towards her. "Aunt Elena?" Lily asked, tears streaming down her face as she came closer to Elena. "Elena?" she asked, stopping a few feet from her.
Elena rolled over – the only move she could make with her whole body – and clutched her head. She looked up at the gray sky, trying to put herself in place. What had happened? Why was she dreaming about her old apartment? The rundown one with a leaky roof? A large raindrop fell on her forehead suddenly and rolled all the way down to her cheek. When had it started to rain?
Then, as if everything hit her at once, she gasped. Derrick. He was out there. She had seen him, and ran as fast as she could. But why was she laying on the ground? Why did her head hurt? Had he hit her? "Elena?" Lily's frightened voice asked again, though she remained where she was.
Elena's head snapped in the direction of Lily. No. Lily was in danger if Derrick was out there with them. "Run" Elena's voice rasped. Lily looked at her, not blinking. "Run, Lily. Get out of here!" Elena yelled at her, her voice still raspy but with more power behind it.
Lily hesitated. "You're bleeding" she cried, wanting to help but not knowing how.
Elena brought her hand away from her head and saw it covered with blood. She swallowed the panic that threatened to come out in a horrified gasp. Lily's safety was more important now, though. "Go back to the house Lily" she said, her voice shaky. Lily didn't move. "NOW!" Elena yelled sharply at her. It made Lily jump, but it had her attention. Lily turned and ran as fast as her little feet would carry her.
Elena tried to sit up and was hit with a wave of dizziness. She looked around her and the trees in the background seemed to spin. But there was no sign of Derrick. Maybe he was hiding, waiting to grab her. Or maybe he had followed Lily back to the house. No. Elena slowly began to crawl, small steps at a time, before she had to stop and rest. She felt like she was going to be sick.
Five minutes – maybe – and she could hear shouting from up ahead. She couldn't really see who it was, but she could hear him. Tears clouded her eyes as she sat where she was, waiting. He was coming for her. Like he always would. "Elena!" he yelled and in a second, he was kneeling down beside her, holding her face and examining her. Her eyes, her breathing, her head. "What happened?" he asked, concern slipping out in his voice without an ounce of restraint.
Her tears overtook her as she grabbed on to him, needing the reassurance that he was really there. "He's here" she cried, becoming hysterical. It only made her head hurt more, but she couldn't help it. "He's out there Stefan."
"Who's out there?' Stefan asked, greatly confused. He grabbed her chin and checked her face. Although she was hysterical, she seemed in her right mind.
"Derr … rrick" she stuttered, her body beginning to shake.
She was in shock. "Derrick is dead, Elena. You know that" Stefan said, bringing her close and kissing a patch of hair not covered in blood. "Come on. Let's go to the hospital" he told her, picking her up with ease and beginning to walk quickly back to the house. He did notice himself scanning the area a little more now, but it was pointless. Derrick was dead. He had been there. He had received the news.
Elena was in the car minutes later, as was Lily who was still crying frantically. Stefan's heart had felt as though it dropped out of his chest when Lily had come busting through his front door in hysterics. She had barely been able to get a word out before Stefan was telling her to stay put and running out the door.
"Lily, it's okay kiddo" Stefan said, trying to convince himself of this too as he turned onto another street. She was still crying and taking gasping breathes in her frantic moments.
"I'm okay, Lily" Elena said, reaching her hand back and grabbing Lily's. Her other hand was holding a cloth to her head to control the bleeding. "I just bumped my head. Shhh. I didn't mean to scare you" she said, as calmly as she could. Stefan's hand was placed securely just above Elena's knee as he drove.
"I … want … Daddy …" she said, gasping in between each word.
Elena's heart throbbed with pain just from hearing Lily. "Let's swing by her house and drop her off" Elena said, turning to look at Stefan.
He shook his head no. "You need to be at the hospital now" he informed her. She could tell he was on autopilot. "Katherine is meeting us there" he added.
Elena squeezed Lily's hand again as Stefan drove at an insane speed toward the hospital. "Slow down or we'll all be dead" she said under her breath, though she was sure that he had heard her because he did slow down.
Once Stefan had parked, Elena was already out of her door and unbuckling Lily from her booster seat. "Elena, stop. I've got it" Stefan said, running to the other side of the car. Elena ignored him as she took Lily's hand and started walking toward the entrance of the hosptial. "Elena!" Stefan called, rushing to her side.
"I'm fine" Elena said, brushing his hand off of her. "I'm fine." He stopped momentarily, a pained look on his face, but Elena ignored it. She had to.
She was admitted right away and taken back to be examined. Tests showed no major brain injury, but her cut was cleaned up and stitched. She hadn't wanted anyone back there with her, much to Stefan's disapproval. She just couldn't take him hovering.
The door opening startled her. She had been expecting the nurse with her discharge papers. "She wanted to see you" Katherine's voice echoed through the room. "You know, make sure you were still alive and kicking" she added with a hint of a sneer. Lily appeared from behind Katherine, her tears ceased but huge stains all down her cheeks. "At least she wasn't wearing mascara" Katherine added.
Elena's lips pressed into a hard line. You had to be in a special kind of mood to deal with Katherine. She was in no mood for her though. "I'm okay, Lily, really" Elena said, forcing a smile. To be honest, she was waiting for Derrick to come through that door to collect her like he did on many occasions.
Lily slowly made her way to Elena's bed, climbing up on the chair and into bed with Elena. She sat completely still and examined the white bandage over Elena's head. "You scared me" Lily whispered. "And you yelled at me" she added, whispering again.
Elena felt like she wanted to cry now, but she wouldn't. Not with Katherine in the room. "I'm so sorry" Elena said, pulling Lily into a close embrace. "I was just scared too. I didn't mean to yell at you" she added. "Forgive me?" she asked, pulling away and tucking a few strands of Lily's hair behind her ear.
Lily nodded just as the door opened again. Damon. "Oh thank God" he said, seeing that Elena was alive and well. Katherine glowered at him. "You're okay?" he asked.
"She's breathing, isn't she?" Katherine spat with annoyance. Why did Elena get all the attention all of a sudden? Damon glared right back at her.
"I'm okay" she assured him.
He nodded. "Katherine, take Lily down to get some ice cream. I need to talk to Elena for a minute" he stated. Elena couldn't help but notice the intense look of horror on Katherine's face, but she did as he had said. "Go with your mom" Damon said.
"But …" Lily began to protest.
"No buts. Go. You can stop by and see Elena tomorrow" he said, his tone telling her that he was in no mood for her to argue tonight.
"I love you. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Elena asked her. Lily nodded, putting her arms around Elena. When Lily hopped off of her bed, Elena realized how nervous she was about what Damon had to talk to her about.
When the door closed behind them, Damon came and sat down in the chair next to Elena's bed. "Stefan told me you said you saw Derrick. On the property" he stated, cutting to the chase.
Elena nodded. "I did. I know I did" she told him, her eyes locking with his.
Damon looked at her in that pitying way that so many people had looked at her before. "He's dead, Elena" Damon told her without so much as blinking.
Elena had to look away from him. He didn't believe her, either. "I know what I saw" she told him.
"You also hit your head pretty hard" Damon reminded her. That wasn't it though. She knew she had seen Derrick before she hit her head.
"Yeah, I guess" Elena said listlessly. She didn't believe that for one second, but she also didn't want to sit in this room with Damon much longer.
"Is there anything I can do? Anything you need?" he asked, attempting to be helpful because it was awkward just sitting there, watching her look so lost. Elena shook her head no. "Okay. I'm glad you're okay" he said, watching her for a moment and then getting up and leaving the room.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Stefan and Elena hadn't talked the whole way home. Stefan had gone straight into his office and shut the door. Elena had gone upstairs to change. When Stefan did enter their bedroom twenty minutes later, he kicked off his shorts and shirt and grabbed a pair of sweats. Elena was in the adjoining bathroom, staring at her bandage.
Stefan's sudden reflection in the mirror scared her. Her heart rate increased a little and she jumped slightly. He didn't seem to notice. Or he didn't want to. His arms wrapped around her and he kissed her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" he asked, looking into the mirror so he could see her eyes.
"Fine" she answered, dropping her gaze and fiddling with the ridiculously expensive watch Stefan had given her. Derrick had given her nice things too. Before he started beating the shit out of her.
Stefan gently pulled on her arm, bringing her around to face him. He cupped her face and gently ran his thumb along the end of the bandage, examining her carefully. "You really scared me today" he said, his voice low and quiet. She didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't say anything. "I love you" he said, placing a feather light kiss on her forehead. He rested his lips there for a moment, closed his eyes, and said a silent, thankful prayer that she was okay.
"You think I'm crazy" she said quietly. Stefan stepped back slightly and looked down at her. "About seeing Derrick. You don't believe me" she told him, a look of sadness washing over her face.
"He's gone, Elena. It's over. You get to move on. You get to be happy. With me" he said, holding her arms just above her elbows and looking directly into her eyes.
A silent tear slipped down her cheek, one she hadn't meant to let escape. "I'm glad you think it's that easy for me" she said. Her voice was filled with anger, but her tone was soft. She stepped away from him, bumping into the counter as she did. He let his arms drop to his sides and looked at her, defeated. "I know what I saw, Stefan. I wish you believed me" she said, walking past him.
"Elena" he said, grabbing her waist and stopping her. "If it were possible, I would believe you" he told her. "But he's dead."
Elena's eyes seemed to ice over at his words. "Then maybe I saw his ghost, and I truly am f*cked up beyond repair" she said bitterly. She stepped away from him again, and his face showed that he was overcome by hurt. "I'm sleeping down the hall tonight" she added, not being able to be near him one more second. Despite how angry she was at him, she was scared too. Scared that she was right. That Derrick was alive. And scared that she was wrong, too. And that she was seeing things. That she would never be able to escape Derrick. Ever.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Stefan tightened the cinch on Ben, flipping the stirrup back over. He needed to go for a ride and clear his head. He couldn't get last night off of his mind. Maybe it was wrong of him to think that Elena was going to have a happier future. Maybe her past wasn't going to go away just because he wanted it to.
"We'd like to tag along" came Katherine's voice. Stefan turned around and saw both she and Lily in a pair of jeans and boots.
It actually improved his mood to see them standing there. "Yeah Uncle Stefan. We wanna go too!" Lily said, running up and grabbing the reigns out of his hand. He bent down and gave her a big kiss on her cheek. He was actually really, really happy to see her. "Oh gross!" she said in disgust, wiping the kiss off of her cheek.
Stefan looked up to see Katherine smiling. A genuine smile that he had only seen a few times when he was with her. "Come on" he said, nodding towards the horse. He gave Katherine a leg up and once she was settled, he lifted Lily up and put her in front of Katherine. "You remember how to ride?" he asked, a small grin on his face.
Katherine kicked him with her boot, right into his rib. He winced, though he was laughing. "Go get your other horse. We don't have all day" she said, moving the horse forward out of the barn.
"Yeah Uncle Stefan. We don't have all day!" Lily called back, repeating her mother. Katherine looked back and gave him a knowing smile. She was so proud of her daughter sometimes.
Stefan quickly got Cash saddled up and out of the barn. He looked back towards the house, thinking about Elena. She was asleep when he came outside. But she didn't want to talk to him anyways.
They set out at a leisurely trot until the trail narrowed down and they decided to walk the horses. "You doing okay?" Katherine asked, bringing him out of his thoughts abruptly.
He looked over at her. "I guess" he replied.
"You know" she said, looking down at Lily, mindful that she was there with them. "If you ever want to talk or anything …" she trailed off.
"You'd be willing to talk about Elena?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
Katherine rolled her eyes. "Well, I didn't say I'd like it. But I'd do it" she said. "I owe you that, at least" she added.
"That's not nice to talk about Elena when she's not here" Lily's voice warned. Stefan and Katherine both looked at each other and held back a laugh.
"Is that what your teacher said?" Stefan asked, turning off on another trail. Lily nodded.
"Yeah, well you know what I think about your teacher" Katherine commented, almost venomously.
"Uh huh" Lily said. "That's she's an overinvolved prude who has no fashion sense" Lily said, repeated her mother's words exactly. The she giggled.
"Jeez Katherine!" Stefan scolded, though he was laughing. Katherine rolled her eyes again.
Lily looked over at her uncle and frowned. He was really happy right now. And he was usually only happy when Elena was with him. "Where's Elena?" Lily asked.
Stefan stopped laughing almost immediately. "She's resting" Stefan said, a surge of guilt rushing through his mind. He should have been back at the house with her, making sure she didn't need anything.
Katherine remained quiet, but Stefan could tell that she wanted to say something. "Oh" Lily said.
"I should get back and check on her actually" Stefan said, stopping his horse.
"Can we race back?" Lily asked.
"Yes" Katherine said, turning their horse and kicking him. The horse took off, leaving Stefan.
But he just didn't want to race. He felt like crap. Again.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Stefan walked upstairs after getting the horses settled. He told Lily that Elena wasn't up for visitors today, which had made her cry, but Katherine promised her a trip to the zoo and all was forgotten. He checked the room Elena had stayed in, but the bed was made and the room was empty. He walked down to their bedroom and found Elena sitting on their bed. Her hair was brushed, but she had no makeup on. "Hey" he said, ready to ask her how she was.
"Did you have a fun ride, with Katherine?" she asked. The bitterness was evident.
Stefan sighed. "Lily went too" he reminded her.
Elena nodded. She looked so distant. So in pain. "Right" she replied. "Perfect little family, aren't you three?" she asked.
"What?" Stefan asked, a bit shocked that she would say such a thing. "You know that's not true" he added, a bit frustrated.
Elena smiled to herself, mostly. "Well, you have the crazy wife. You might as well have the ex-girlfriend on the side" she added.
Stefan felt like he had been punched. "I don't even know what to say to you, when you say things like that" he told her. He turned and left the room, afraid of what he might say if things escalated.
Elena remained where she was, sitting on their bed. She had no energy to go after him. To apologize or to continue accusing him.