Dear Diary

It's been eight years almost nine since my father left town. The nightmares of the pain he put my mother and I through was one I had a hard time dealing with. Over the last eight years I have tried to forget him and move on from those dark times. I always knew in the back of my mind that there was a chance he could come back but I guess I never thought it would be so soon.

A couple weeks ago a woman came to town claiming to be my father's new wife. I still have no idea what it is she wants but I can only assume that if she is in town my father isn't to far away. Since her visit at homecoming the nightmares have returned and have become more detailed and scarier then ever before.

I hate my father and I would be happy not having to see him ever again. He isn't part of my life and nor do I want to be apart of his life and his new wife.

Caroline

With a sigh Elena laid Claire in her crib with her soother in her mouth and with her ladybug snuggle in her arms. Claire started to fuss a bit but as Elena caressed her index finger over Claire's cheek and then made some soft hushing sounds.

As she left the room and softly shut the door to Claire's nursery, her cries began and Elena leaned against the door with a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

As lunch came around Elena sat in the cafeteria along with Bonnie and Caroline. While Bonnie and Caroline chatted away Elena on the other hand was doing her best to stay awake. With her sandwich sitting in front of her untouched Elena's eyes grew heavy and she was trying to do her best to keep her eyes open.

As her eyes grew heavy her head started to bob forward and almost falling onto her sandwich. Shaking her head Elena shifted in her seat and tried to wake herself up. It had been a late night with Claire, it seemed every time Elena had put her down she was crying again.

"You okay?" Caroline asked as she noticed how tired Elena seemed as she sat across form her.

"Claire didn't sleep much last night, I was up practically up all night. I only got about a solid hour of sleep," Elena told them with a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

"What about Damon why can't he get up with her?" Bonnie asked with a judgmental tone.

"Damon didn't sleep over last night, he was at his place" Elena said with a yawn while playing with her sandwich. "He doesn't stay over on school nights."

"So what he has you staying up all night by yourself at night and then having to got to school during the day?" Bonnie said still not warming up to the idea of Damon.

"They're Jenna's rules and its not really that bad" Elena said as she took a bite of her sandwich finally. "She usually sleeps through the night now but last night she was just really fussy. Besides Damon is with her all day it's not like he isn't around," Elena said standing up for Damon.

"Okay sorry" Bonnie said as she decided to back off the Damon issue.

They ate the rest of their lunch in silence and Elena noticed that Caroline also seemed to be a bit distracted as well. She had been quiet for most of the week or pretty much since Homecoming a couple weeks ago.

"You okay Caroline?" Elena asked as she watched her friend playing with her salad while she mind seemed to be miles away.

"Yeah I'm fine" Caroline said with a fake smile. She glanced around the cafeteria for a moment before she packed up her lunch and stood up form her seat. "I'll see you guys later, I've got some things to do" Caroline said as she swung her bag over her shoulder and headed out of the cafeteria with a weak smile.

Something is going on with her" Elena insisted as she watched Caroline leave.

"Yeah, but I have no idea what?" Bonnie told her. The two friends were worried about their friend and hoped that at some point Caroline would be able to confide in them.

On a Saturday afternoon Elena was carrying Claire up to her nursery to put her down for a nap and the little girl started to fussy not happy about having to go for a nap. "Do you think she is feeling okay, I mean she has been pretty fussy lately" Elena said as she pressed a hand to her little girls forehead.

"I'm sure she's fine," Damon said as he too brought a hand up to her forehead.

With a sigh Elena moved over to the crib and placed Claire in. "Come on Claire honey you need a nap" Elena said softly to her but Claire started to squirm and cry as she was placed in the crib. "Come on baby girl" Elena said as she tried to sooth her little girl.

It wasn't working, she just started to cry louder and roll off her back and grasping onto Elena. Rolling Claire back onto her back, Elena made quiet hushing sounds and brushed her finger over her little strands of soft dark hair. Her big blue eyes were filled with tears and her face turned a reddish colour as her crying continued.

"Elena," Damon said as he stepped forwards in an effort to help.

"I've got it!" Elena snapped as Claire continued to cry. "I can put my daughter down for her nap" Elena told him with an angry tone. She knew Damon was with Claire all week but that didn't mean he was the only one who could get her to go down for her nap.

Backing off Damon put his hands up in decided to give Elena her space. He quietly left the nursery while Claire continued to cry and fussy and Elena did her best to get her to calm down and go to sleep. As he headed towards the stairs he saw Jeremy come storming out of his room.

Jeremy glared at Damon as he past him and headed down the stairs without saying a word to Damon.

"So this is how you treat the guy who came and picked out up from the police station?" Damon asked as he followed down the stairs.

"Yeah thanks a lot for selling me out to me Jenna" Jeremy grumped as he made his away to the kitchen and pulled a pop out of the fridge and snapped open the can.

Damon rolled his eyes as he took a seat at the island counter. "You live in freakin Mystic Falls, this town is a built on gossip and emotional basket cases," Damon stated. "Word would of got out about you and your idiot friends driving around Mystic Falls with a) no license and b) drunk. Also why are you hanging around that Vicky chick again?"

"Screw you" Jeremy snapped back as he placed the pop can down on the counter and then headed for the door.

"And where do you think your going?" came Jenna's voice as she came down the stairs just in time to see Jeremy heading for the door.

Rolling his eyes Jeremy turned on his heels and threw his bag on the floor as he realized he wasn't going anywhere. With a smile Jenna made her way to the kitchen and got herself a glass of water.

"Come on it's been two weeks," Jeremy complained.

"So what your still grounded" Jenna informed him. "Plus your community service starts today" she told him as she handed him a card.

"I'm already doing community service," Jeremy groaned.

"No your working cutting the neighbours lawns so that you can pay back they fine that Damon generously paid off for you" Jenna said and Damon smiled happy not to have Jenna yelling at him for once.

"Since when did you become pro Damon?" Jeremy asked not liking that everyone was against him.

"Maybe you should be more grateful because what you did was beyond stupid, sure you may not have been the one driving but you were in the damn car!" Jenna yelled at him. "You could have been killed!"

As the two were yelling at each other Elena came into the room with the baby monitor in her hand as she tried to hush all the yelling in the room. "Please Claire is finally asleep and I would like her to stay like that" Elena stated.

Jeremy just groaned and rolled his eyes as he left the kitchen. "So where am I suppose to do this mandatory community service?" Jeremy asked.

"Your cleaning up the river" Jenna told him.

"What?" Jeremy said not thrilled with the idea.

"Well you should of thought about that before you decided to act like a compete idiot" Jenna told him.

"MY GOD IT WAS-"

"SHHHH!" Elena anxiously pleaded not wanting them to wake up Claire.

With a grunt Jeremy grabbed his bag and headed for the door with the slip of paper in his hand about where he was to go for his community service. As he left he slammed the door shut and Elena covered her mouth in prayer that Claire wouldn't wake up because of it.

There was silence in room for a few moments as Elena stood there with her hand covering her mouth and her eyes squeezed shut praying that that silence would continue. Yet just when she thought she was in the clear the baby monitor noise level started to bounce and then filled with Claire's cries.

"Honesty!" Elena grunted and then ran up the stairs to try and put her back to sleep.

Damon shook her head as Elena started running, "Elena just-" he started to say with a sigh. "Never mind" he finished

"I'm just saying maybe you shouldn't run to her every time she makes a peep" Damon whispered to her as the two were folding laundry in the family room. After about another fifteen minutes Elena had gotten Claire to go back down and she had made a rule that no one was to talk louder then a whisper.

"Those are cries for help!" Elena insisted. "Trust me I'm her mother."

"Yeah and in case you forgot I'm her father" Damon snapped back.

"Shhh!" Elena snapped back when she thought Damon was talking to loud. "Look just because you are with during the week doesn't mean you know her better then me!"

"I never said that!" Damon said in a harsh whisper as he threw down a towel.

"Okay, okay I think you two need to relax" Jenna said as she came into the room and took a seat on the sofa with a cup of coffee.

"Elena she is five months old, almost six she should learn how to put calm herself down and put herself back to sleep" Damon told her.

"Letting her cry when she just wants to know we are there is cruel! I can't believe you would even suggest that!"

"Elena, Damon has a point." Jenna said.

"You too! My god I get that you are happy he help Jeremy but that doesn't mean you have to take his side on everything now!" Elena said angrily.

"Watch your voice Elena you might wake her up," Damon said jokingly as Elena's voice got a little louder.

Elena made a face and then threw one of Claire's pink dresses at Damon not finding his humour at all funny. Watching the two lovebirds little spat made Jenna giggle at how silly their little fight was. "Elena your not abandoning her your teaching her to calm herself and go back to sleep so that your not up all night with her. Your mom did the same thing to you."

"What?" Elena said in shock.

"Yeah she would let you cry in your crib sometimes and it never harmed you in anyway."

"But it's a cry for help" Elena said as she was starting to get really upset.

"Sometimes yes but when you just put her down or she just wakes up just minutes into her nap then it's just a cry for attention" Jenna told her.

After finishing up the laundry Elena glared at both Damon and Jenna as she picked up the laundry basket and stormed up the stairs having had enough of them ganging up on her.

Caroline sat in the park in Town Square staring out at all the families as they walked by her picnic table. She sat there nervously as she flipped her phone over in her hands while thinking about the woman whom claimed to be her father's wife. Six years and she had no idea where he had been or what he had been up to. Apart of her had hoped he was in jail but that didn't seem to be the case.

Lost in her thought she was taken by surprise when Bonnie and Elena showed up and took a seat beside her. At first neither said a word and Caroline found comfort in just having her friends close.

"Thanks for coming so quickly" Caroline said with a smile.

"Hey, you said it was a friend emergency, everything else can wait" Elena said as she hugged her friend knowing that something was definitely bothering her. After getting the text Damon agreed to stay at the house while Claire napped so she could meet up with Caroline.

"Yeah what ever it is Caroline we are here for you," Bonnie told her.

Caroline nodded as a smile grew on her face although her eyes were watery. She let out a deep sigh as she gathered her thoughts. For quite some time now she had wanted to tell Bonnie and Elena about her past and about her father but never knew how to bring it up. Now with his new wife running around town Caroline knew it would only be a matter of time before they found out the truth and she better they heard it from her.

"Its about my father…" Caroline stated to say as she looked at her friends with a straight face. Both Elena and Bonnie sat quietly as they waited for Caroline to gather her thoughts and confide in them. Bonnie was surprised she even mentioned her father because in all the years he had been absent she had never brought him up once.

"He isn't a nice man and he didn't just leave us, my mom threw him out and made sure he left Mystic Falls. He use to drink a lot and when he drank he got angry and… he would take that anger out on me and my mom" Caroline said and as she tried to get through her speech as she started to cry.

Both Bonnie and Elena shuffled in closer to their friends and wrapped their arms around her. Bonnie rested her head on Caroline's shoulder and told her that were hear for her. With a nod Caroline found the strength to continue. "He use to hit me and my mom and for some time we couldn't get away from him. I would wear long sleeves to school when it was 85F to hide the bruises. I was so happy when he left that I started to forget about him but… at homecoming that woman who came to the dance said she was his new wife."

Both Bonnie and Elena's eyes widened in shock, Elena had been filled in on all the details from homecoming from Bonnie and she had mentioned the lady whom had upset Caroline. "And I don't know what to do about it. I mean if she's here and knows about me, does that mean he's… he's here too?" she asked as her body started shaking.

Elena hugged her friend closer, "Did you tell your mom?"

"Yeah" Caroline said with a sniffle as she rubbed her nose. "She has been keeping an eye out for him but so far there has been no sign of him or the woman" Caroline insisted. "I just I... I don't know what to do," she said as she started to cry.

Immediately Bonnie and Elena hugged their friend tightly and assured her that they were here for her and that what ever happened or if this horrible excuse of a man ever came back he wasn't getting anywhere near Caroline.

Claire's crying filled the Gilbert house late on a Sunday night as Damon entered the house after picking up a grumpy Jeremy from his full day on community service work. "You're welcome" Damon as Jeremy just walked away. He kept his coat on since he wasn't planning on staying long but listened as Claire continued to cry. ""Elena must be in the shower," Damon said as he raced up the stairs so attend to his baby girl while Elena was busy. As he climbed the stairs and turned towards the nursery door he noticed a dark figure sitting on the floor against the door of the nursery.

As he got closer he realized it was Elena as she sat with her knees pulled to her chest and her back against the door. Taking the couple steps to get closer to her he could see she had tears in her eyes as she sat there listening to the cries of her baby girl on the other side of the door.

Without saying a word Damon took a seat beside her against the door and wrapped an arm around her knowing that this wasn't an easy thing for Elena to listen to. "I'm so tired, all the time," Elena said with a sniffle. "I want to run to her every time she cries but it's exhausting."

Pulling her in close he kissed her temple letting her know he understood the feeling she was going through. His free hand reached down to grasp hold of her hand and rubbed his thumb over her soft skin as they sat there.

"Maybe your right, maybe I run to her at every peep" Elena said as she let out another whimper as Claire continued to cry.

While they sat there Jenna came up the stairs wondering what was wrong with Claire but when she saw the two parents sitting outside her door she just gave them a slight smile. As she stared at them she remembered seeing a similar scene years ago when her sister Miranda and brother in-law Grayson had put their baby girl down and sat outside her room all night. She nodded to the two teenagers then made her way to her own room and gave them their space.

"Listen Elena" Damon said as he turned to face her and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "We don't have to start this tonight, I mean we can try again in a month or so. We can do what ever you're ready for, because I will run to her every time she cries if you want me to but at the same time I could always just turn up sport center and just let her cry it out" he said with a smile and he saw a smile cross Elena's face as she let out a soft giggle. Leaning in she hugged Damon closer and kissed his lips.

As they pulled away there heard the cries settle and soon it was quiet in the nursery. Pulling away Elena listened closely to see if she could heard Claire at all but it was silent. "I think she's asleep," Elena said with a smile while she got to her feet.

Damon got up with her and then slowly and quietly they opened up the nursery to check on their little girl. Their feet padded across the floor towards the crib and as Elena and Damon peaked into the crib they saw one of the most adorable things. Claire had a soother in her mouth, on arm wrapped around her ladybug she had gotten from Caroline from the baby shower and her other hand was touching the little soft dark strands of hair that she had on the top of her head.

She looked so peaceful and by looking at her you couldn't even tell that she had spent about thirty minutes crying for someone to hold her and lift her out of the crib. "See sleeping like an angel," Damon said as he wrapped his arms around Elena from behinds and planted kisses on the side of her face as they watched their baby girl for a little while longer as she slept.

The next day Caroline had made plans to meet up with the girls and have a girls day shopping. Stopping at a coffee shop she got herself a latte after she received a text from Elena telling her that she was running a little late as she was getting Claire ready for the day out.

Sitting on the patio she texted Tyler making plans to meet up with him later and in return he sent her a flirty text back that made her laugh. Taking a sip of her latte Caroline hummed away to a song she had in her head while she enjoyed the warm sunny day.

"Caroline?" came a voice and Caroline looked up to see the woman whom she had seen at the homecoming standing in front of her.

"Oh hi… Mrs. Forbes" Caroline said trying to be polite as she stared at the woman who just seem to pop into her life when ever she felt like it.

"Your Caroline Forbes right? You're my husbands other daughter" she asked.

"I'm not his daughter" Caroline said quickly in anger, that man had no right to call her his daughter. Just then she thought back to what the woman had said, "wait, other?" she repeated and it was at this time that Caroline looked down and noticedthe two young girls at the woman's side with blond hair and blue eyes just like her staring back at her. The two girls had to be about five and four years old.

"Caroline these are your sisters, Margret and Danielle" she told her and Caroline's jaw practically fell to the ground.