A/N: Thank you all for those who are interested in seeing where this story is going to go and for commenting. I promise that things will be interesting and Elena won't be a jealous ex in this story. There's a reason why Audrey sent the invitation and it goes a little beyond just the wedding. But, things will be explained throughout the story. ;)
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Thanks so much for reading & enjoy!
Remember Me- Chapter Two
"Dad!" Izzie smiled, placing her laptop on to the kitchen table as Damon smiled back at his daughter. He was excited to talk with her since he missed her tremendously. He had been in California for two months now, trying to get more press and recognition for the interior design firm which his younger brother and Lexi Branson now owned together in Miami.
"When are you coming home, dad? Mom's been driving me nuts and so has Ella. She's been going over to Grandma's for sleepovers. But, she's also been following me around everywhere. She wants to do everything I do!" Izzie rambled on as Damon leaned his head back and laughed. "I'll be home soon, sweetheart. I promise. I just need to be here for one more week because your uncle Stefan needs me to be here for at least two more meetings for his new firm.
"Ugh, Branson and Associates!" Izzie commented with a hint of irritation. She loved her uncle and she loved that Stefan and her dad were working together again. But, Izzie really hated that she barely got to see her dad very much.
"It's my job, Iz. It's what keeps food on the table and us living in our nice big house." Damon reminded her, looking past his daughter and brightly smiling as the door behind her opened up widely and he could hear Katherine's voice talking to Ella.
"Daddy!" Ella shrieked, walking over to her sister's lap and sitting in it as Damon waved and blew a kiss to his girls. "Hi honey. How was grandma's?" He asked Ella as she leaned into the computer and kissed the screen. "Good." Ella said with a bright blue eyed gaze, her chocolate brown curly hair falling to her shoulders as Izzie played with her hair.
"Finally skyping with the girls, I see. So, when are you and I going to have a private skype date?" Katherine teased with a wink, leaning against the chair behind their daughters as Damon nodded, licking his lips as he exhaled heavily with a laugh. "Soon." He said in a charming tone as Katherine smirked, pushing away from the chair as she told her daughters to go wash up for dinner.
"Ugh, come on mom." Izzie commented, feeling Katherine place her hand against her shoulder.
"Oh, I know. I'm a horrible mother for making sure my kids are feed and actually eating." Katherine spat out with sarcasm, shaking her head and leaning down to kiss the top of Izzie's head. "Now, do as I say and go wash up. I'll finish up talking to your dad." She commented as Izzie slowly got up, telling Damon a quick goodbye and telling him that she loved him and that she'd be seeing him very soon.
"I'll see you both soon too. I love you girls. Be good." Damon warned as they both nodded, leaving the dining room table while Katherine sat down in front of the laptop, lowering the tank top she was wearing a little so that Damon could see a bit of her cleavage. "Oh, honey. I miss those." Damon grinned widely as Katherine laughed.
"I'm sure you do." She winked, her face turning serious suddenly as she pushed back a piece of her hair and explained the latest news to her husband. "So, I saw your brother today."
"Mhmm. How is he? Nervous as all hell about the wedding?" Damon chuckled, watching as Katherine leaned back into her seat and inhaled deeply. "Well, yes. But, I had a really nice, long and detailed conversation with Audrey about her wedding guests." Katherine added on, looking away from the computer screen for a moment as Damon noticed the look of shock in her eyes still a little evident.
"What's the big deal? I thought they were going to invite like 200 people or something. I mean, it's not like my brother knows that many people and it's not like he's going to be inviting Rebekah. Last we all heard from her was that she was in Mexico with Elijah or something..." Damon's voice trailed off as Katherine turned back to look straight in to the camera. "Oh, Rebekah isn't coming honey. But, Elena might be."
Damon choked out a laugh. "What?"
Inhaling sharply and placing her hands in front of her, Katherine nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, well. Stefan's new fiancee really thinks that the old fiancee should see her son. I mean, you know like Elena didn't fucking abandon Stefan and Ben. Like she didn't break Stefan's heart and all that. Like she wasn't around for the last 6 years." Katherine stated angrily as Damon nodded, trying to process everything that his wife had just said. "Oh boy. Well, Stefan's in for a surprise."
Katherine looked behind her, leaning into the computer and whispering softly she confessed to her husband the one thing that Audrey had made very clear to Katherine earlier in the day. "That's the best part of it all. He doesn't even know that Elena's back in town." Damon heard her say just as the girls came back into the room and Katherine sighed deeply. "I'll call you tonight, tell you more about it. Let's just make sure that those two don't run into each other somewhere before the wedding."
Shaking his head, Damon laughed a little. "Florida is a huge state and Miami is an even bigger city. It's not going to happen, Katherine. And, even if they do it's not like Stefan will welcome Elena back with open arms. For goodness sakes, she left without even facing him. Even at the court hearing for custody of Ben, it was awkward between them. I'm pretty sure that it still would be even if she shows up at this wedding."
"Aren't you going to open it?" Caroline asked anxiously as she watched Elena stare down at the invitation. It had been two hours since she had found out about who Audrey was and Elena stayed silent, trying to make sense of it all. Why would Stefan's new fiancee and Ben's soon to be step mother send her an invitation. It was like this woman didn't realize that Elena hadn't been in contact with either of them at all and that Stefan probably hated her.
"She shouldn't have done this, his new fiancee..." Elena's voice trailed off. There was so much that she wanted to ask about Stefan and Ben, so much that she had missed out on. But, she stopped herself from saying anything else because all she could think of while sitting there was Audrey Whitmore.
"Well, she did and she wants you to apparently be a part of Ben's life too. Elena, it's only if you want to be. If you're ready." Caroline said encouragingly, leaning back in her seat as she watched Kai make his way over to his girlfriend. It was strange, Caroline thought. Seeing Elena with someone that she seemed content in being with because it hadn't been too long ago that she had been that way with Stefan.
"I am ready." Elena said softly, placing her hand on top of Kai's as he took a seat next to her and looked at both women. "Ready for what?" He asked curiously, smiling at them both.
"To officially be back home. To live here again." Elena admitted, feeling Kai lean over and grab a hold of her hand, leaning over as he whispered. "I thought we had already talked about this, together. When we were going to make that choice."
Elena turned her attention away from Caroline, looking right at Kai. "Will you excuse us, Caroline. Just for a minute." Elena asked softly, swallowing down the lump in her throat as tilted her head to the side and watched the blonde excuse herself, walking back inside of the house where Klaus had gone to retrieve a few beers from the fridge.
"How's it going out there?" Klaus asked, hearing the sliding door open up as Caroline closed it shut behind her and walked over to him, watching his arms open widely as she leaned into him. "Oh you know, Elena keeping secrets from the new boyfriend. It's not anything that she hasn't done before. I mean this guy isn't Stefan by any means. But, seems like they get along." Klaus kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
"They can't stay here, Caroline." Klaus told her quickly as she nodded her head. "Of course they can't. We have like 8 bedrooms that we don't use. It's not like they wouldn't have any room."
"That's not what I meant and you know it." Klaus warned, unraveling his arms away from his wife as she backed away and leaned her back into the kitchen counter. "So, what do you mean. If Stefan shows up? Oh, god. Klaus, Elena got invited to his damn wedding!"
Caroline watched as his eyebrows lifted and he nearly spat out the beer from his mouth. "What?" He watched Caroline nod. "Yeah, that's what the envelop was about. Audrey sent it to Elena."
"Oh shit!" Klaus mumbled, turning his back to his wife as he exhaled deeply. "Oh shit!" He stammered out again as Caroline gave him a perplexed look. "What is it?" She asked.
"That's why she wanted the London address?" Klaus asked as Caroline nodded. "Yes."
"Does Stefan know? Should he know that Elena's back in town?" Klaus asked in a panic as Caroline pushed herself away from the counter and exhaled deeply. Stefan should have been told, yes. But, it wasn't there place to tell him. Caroline shrugged her shoulders back. "He'll find out, eventually. I'm sure of it." Caroline commented, brushing her nose against her husband's shirt, wanting to change the subject.
"That Kai Parker guy seems nice. What is he, a few years younger than Elena. 26 or something?" Klaus asked with a laugh as Caroline patted his chest. "I guess. You seem to really like him." Caroline said in an observant tone.
"Well, he seems like a nice guy. Thought I could give him a chance." Klaus smiled, kissing her cheek as they both looked out the window and out to the patio where Kai and Elena were talking.
"Elena, we talked about this. You said that being back here was going to be temporary." Kai commented, pushing up from his chair as he locked his eyes back on to her.
Inhaling sharply, she looked down at the ground for a brief moment. "I know that I did. But, things have changed."
Scoffing, Kai shook his head. "And, what could that possibly be?"
Elena got up too, placing her hands on to his arms, stopping him from leaving the patio as he paced the floor anxiously waiting for her to reply to his words. "My son, Ben. He changed my mind." Elena looked away with tears in her eyes, feeling the guilt of what she had done to them coming back inside of her heart and making it hard to breathe normally. "I wasn't supposed to be away this long, Kai! I wasn't supposed to ever have left. Stefan and I had planned a life together and I ruined it. But, I couldn't take care of myself in the state that I was in. I couldn't feed him, I couldn't even hold or look at my own baby. What kind of mother even does that? It wasn't a question of whether I loved my son or not. I knew in my heart that I loved him. The problem was that I couldn't handle it, being his mother. It pained Stefan so much that he begged me to get help. He said that he was going to pay for everything just as long as I agreed to go..."
Kai's eyebrows raised and he ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "Stefan paid for your treatments? For our sessions?"
Elena shook our head. "No. Klaus did all of that, I told you already. But, I told Stefan that I didn't want anything from him. Except for a simple agreement."
"About what?" Kai asked her, crossing his arms over his chest and pivoting towards Elena to see her face. She was wiping tears away from her eyes, looking shamefully down at her shoes.
"We went to family court. Three months after I left him the letter and I gave him full custody of our son. I told him that I was going far away and that I didn't want him to look for me, to call or to even think about me. I wanted him to move on with his life as I was trying to do because it was easier that way than having what I was dealing with destroy us from the inside out." She explained as Kai took a step to her, reaching out for her and grabbing a hold of her hand. Elena closed her eyes, her bottom lip trembling as she cried out. "So, I called Klaus and asked him to send me to the first place he could think of which was London."
"Elena.." Kai softly spoke, placing his hand on to her cheek and wiping away her tears.
"He doesn't even know me, Kai. My own son has no idea who I am and to be honest that's the reason I want to stay. I need to make up for the time I've lost. I can't have him hating me for a choice I made and I want to see him, you know. Make sure that I made the right choice by leaving him with Stefan." She stated as Kai pulled her into his embrace, placing his hand against her head and stroking her hair gently. "It's okay." He soothed, telling her softly. "We can stay. But, let's just find a place as soon as we can, please." Kai smiled with a laugh, hearing Elena laugh too when he added in. "Because, I like your friends. But, I can't be Klaus Mikaelson's new drinking buddy everyday. That man drinks like a camel and my liver would get pickled in no time."
"Okay. Klaus is kind of a real estate guy. So, I can ask him if he knows anyone in the area who can show us some townhouses or something." Elena commented as Kai kissed her cheek, backing away for a minute when he heard the word "townhouse" leave her lips.
"Oh no, sweetheart. We are not going to be living in Miami and living in a townhouse." Kai replied with a smile before he kissed Elena's lips. "I'd prefer a penthouse. Be sure to mention that to Klaus when you talk about us moving here for good."
It had been a week since Stefan and Audrey had really talked more about the final wedding details and Stefan had even taken a few days off of work to help her plan a few last minute things. Seating charts and catering plans mostly. However, he was anxious to get back to the office, the morning that Lexi called him and told him that she needed his help. "Look who's finally back!" Lexi grinned as she watched Stefan make his way back to his office, adjusting the tie around his neck while he walked.
"Don't worry, Lex. I've been working. Just mostly from home." He paused, throwing her a smile over his shoulder as she tapped her pen against her desk, smiling widely. Stefan turned towards her with a stack of files in his hands that he had picked off of her desk when he had walked in.
"I know you have. Listen, I got a call this morning..." Her voice trailed off as she stepped into Stefan's office, watching him sit down, Lexi took a seat on the couch that looked out to the beautiful view of the city as she spoke. "Something about your real estate agent. It sounded urgent and she said she needed you to call her back as soon as you could. I told her to try calling your cell phone and she did. But, she didn't get an answer and she said that she didn't feel like leaving a message with you. Instead, she needs to meet with you in person." Lexi explained as Stefan's eyebrows furrowed. The last he had spoken with his real estate agent, Elizabeth. Everything had been in order for them to proceed with a short sale on a penthouse at the Villa Regina Tower Suites. Audrey was in love with the place and so was Stefan, it was perfect for them as a little extra getaway when they needed some alone time.
"I'll call her right now." Stefan stated, hearing Lexi tell him to take a look at the rest of the files on his desk before the end of the work day.
Stefan leaned back into his seat, his cell phone pressed up against his ear as he patiently waited until he heard. "This is Elizabeth. How can I help you?"
Stefan licked his lips, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Liz, It's Stefan Salvatore. I was just calling you back about the penthouse. My business partner had said that you called the office. And-" Cutting him off, Elizabeth exhaled deeply before stressing in a tone that made Stefan a little uneasy. "Why yes. I did call you this morning, earlier." Stefan heard her go silent for a moment, like she was shuffling through a set of papers.
"Ah, here is it. Mr. Salvatore. The penthouse that you and your fiancee, Ms. Whitmore have acquired about and have looked at. Well, I've received a better offer and it looks like the owners of this place have decided that it's come down between you and this other new client of mine."
"Excuse me?" Stefan questioned in a shocked tone as he exhaled deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. They had already placed money aside for the down payment and all the closing fees that he knew they were going to have and now, someone else was trying to come in and pull the proverbial rug from underneath them. Like hell they would! Stefan thought as he rolled his eyes.
"Listen, Elizabeth. Is there any way that I can meet you at the penthouse and we can talk this over?" Stefan questioned as he heard the doorbell to the penthouse ring and the sounds of someone being rushed inside of it.
"Yes, that would be wonderful. My new clients just got here, they wanted to look at the place. How about you just meet me after they leave. I think we'll be done around here in about an hour." She asked as Stefan gritted his teeth back, inhaling deeply through gritted teeth. "Son of a bitch!" He muttered out, shaking his head as he quickly added in. "I have a better idea. How about I show up earlier and meet these new clients of yours. Maybe I can find them another even nicer location. Besides, I used to be a real estate developer, I was the owner of SD Realty, Elizabeth. I can tell you without a doubt that I still have connections in this town and I can find them something even nicer than that particular penthouse."
Elizabeth laughed a little, glancing back at the two people who had just stepped into the penthouse as she watched them glance around the living room, admiring the beautiful view that could be seen from the small balcony.
"Fine. I'll have you come earlier. But, if they offer more money than you've already placed on this place. I'm sorry but I can't say that the owners wouldn't want to go with them." Elizabeth stated, hearing Stefan become agitated by her words. "Who in gods name could possibly have 3.4 million dollars in their bank account to offer up front like I do?" He asked, lifting his feet from his desk as he placed them back on to the floor and added with a calmer tone. "I'll be there in 20 minutes. I can't wait to meet these new clients of yours and bargain for the penthouse that should already be mine and my fiancee's!"
"Now, over here is the spare bedroom and it also opens up to a beautiful view of the downtown sky scrapers." Elizabeth commented, finalizing the tour of the penthouse as she watched her clients gleeful faces and heard the young man clear his throat. "I should take this. Listen, sweetheart. I'll be out in the car talking on the phone. How about you and Elizabeth talk more details. I love it so far!" He winked, leaning over and kissing whom she assumed was his girlfriend as Elizabeth smiled at them while the young woman nodded and agreed on it.
The door closed behind him as Elizabeth cleared her throat, turning the paper work towards her newest client with a smile on her face. "So, the closing cost and everything else we discussed would be in the offer. I spoke with the original owners of this place and they said that they'd be willing to work out a deal with you and your..." She paused, unsure of the young woman's relationship with the young man who had been with her.
"My boyfriend." She clarified with a small smile, looking down at the paperwork and looking around the penthouse as she closed her eyes, imagining herself living there. It was nice, tranquil. "Does the furniture stay?" She asked quietly as Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But, once the place is cleared out. The two of you can decorate it as you wish." She stated, giving her a small smile.
"That sounds great." Elizabeth heard her say, watching as she gathered the paperwork that had been given to her. "Elizabeth, thank you for meeting us on such short notice and this has really been great. My boyfriend and I will talk this over and maybe once you get a word back from the owners then we can see where else this could go?" Her tone hopeful and her eyes smiling as Elizabeth nodded and lead her out towards the front door. "Certainly. It was very nice meeting you both. I have to lock the place up and I'm heading out as well."
"We could wait for you." Elizabeth heard her offer as she placed her hand on to the door handle and opened it.
"Oh no. It's fine. But, thank you, Miss Gilbert." She stated, opening the door wider and watching as Elena walked down the stairs back to the car. Elena placed her sunglasses over her eyes, attempting to block out the sun that was beating down on her face. Her white summer dress flowing in the breeze as she walked past the office building and was looking down at her cell phone, trying to remember where they had parked their car. "Ugh, Kai. I swear to god that if-." Elena began to say, her thumb hovering over Kai's name in her contacts just as she felt herself fly backwards and then she hit the ground, hard.
Disoriented and looking down at her now ruined white dress that was covered in a bit of dirt, she got up in search of her sunglasses that had flew off of her head and somewhere into the grass. "I am so sorry, I got a call to pick my sick kid up from daycare. I'm in a rush to meet with my realtor and I wasn't paying any attention when I bumped into you. I apologize." She could hear a voice say out loud, sounding overly apologetic as he extended out his hand to help her up, not looking at her face while placing his cell phone back into the back pocket of his jeans and looking down at his son. Elena reached for his hand, feeling him pull her up.
"It's fine." She whispered, her dark brown gaze meeting his and in that moment, she felt her heart sink to the bottom of her chest as he too finally looked up at her with complete surprise and shock in his eyes as he realized who he had just sent down to the concrete ground. Neither of them spoke for a long time as he looked her over, she was still as beautiful as she had been years earlier before she had left and taken a piece of his heart with her. Part of him longed to reach out and caress her hand. But, his thumb stopped itself from brushing against her skin as Stefan looked away, taking a step back.
"Elena! Come on, we're over here!" She could hear Kai shouting in the parking lot as he stood outside near the car, the heat picking up around them as the morning burned off into the early afternoon. Although all Elena could focus on was the dark haired, much older looking man in a pair of dark wash jeans, a red tie loosened around his neck and a seemingly tight gray dress shirt that brought out the familiar green color of his forest green eyes. She took a step closer as he softly said her name as if it was a question, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Because after all these years, he really couldn't believe that she was right in front of him. "Elena?" She heard him say with hesitation in his shaking voice.
She stood frozen in place, wrapping her arms protectively around her waistline as she looked down at the little boy standing behind him, his brown eyes meeting hers as he held on to his father's hand tightly. Elena swallowed the lump in her throat, lifting her eyes slowly to meet his when she heard him say her name and all she could do while fighting back tears in her eyes was utter out a heartfelt apology. "I am so sorry, Stefan. I'm sorry."
A/N: Oh snap! Things are about to get REAL messy!
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-More To Come!-