To Change or Not To Change: Time Traveling AU

Chapter 12: The Loss of a Mother

Elena stood her body freezing upon realizing what she had just uttered. She stared at Damon whom had frozen as well, leaving the brunette thinking it all over. Damon just stared at her in turn before his eyes hardened. He must think I'm crazy! She thought. Damon turned and ran off into the night, not trying to hide the fact that he was a vampire anymore.

Elena now stood alone and the night became colder. She had just lost the one person she came all the way back in time to see and it was heartbreaking. With a heavy heart and even heavier feet, Elena moved on and headed home.

~x~

Utter chaos greeted Elena when she happened upon her house. Police cars were rolled up on her lawn and people surrounded her house. Now she was worried as she started running to her door, police men trying to stop her but she just pushed through. "It's my house! THAT'S my house!"

She spied her dad on the doorstep and her heart dropped in her stomach. He looked so sad, but upon seeing her, he looked a little relieved. "Elena," Elena moved right into his open arms and buried her face into his neck. "Thank god you're alright…"

"Dad, what happened?"

Grayson sighed, shaking his head. Elena pulled back to look into her father's eyes. She looked so worried. "Elena," He sighed and she could just see how upset he was.

Was it Jeremy? Did something happen to Jeremy?

"I…Liz was at the hospital tonight, when a person came in. A body…They couldn't do anything to save them and they're dead…." Grayson looked just so sad, so utterly broken. "Elena, your mom…she died…."

"No!" Elena didn't realize she had pulled from her dad, her body trembling. She had been so worried about Damon, that she had forgotten that her parents had died in her real timeline. "No, she can't be!"

Why had Miranda been on that bridge anyway?

Elena wanted to bolt but then she was in another person's arms. She fell to the ground, her whole world crumbling around her. The person went with her, simply holding her. She looked up and she found the eyes of her friends- Bonnie and Caroline were there. Elena felt tears running down her cheeks but only after Bonnie wiped them away.

"She can't….no…." She whimpered.

Caroline rubbed her back and Bonnie pulled her closer. The small group of friends held onto each other; one bawling her eyes out, the two others holding her and comforting her the best they could. They didn't say it'd be okay because nobody could be for sure. Miranda Gilbert was dead. And she left a giant hole in her wake…

~x~

Bonnie's dad and Caroline's mom allowed the girls to stay with Elena that night. Jeremy ended up going to Matt's to get away from the house for that night. Grayson hid in his and Miranda's bedroom, needing time alone.

Elena fell into her bed with her tear stained cheeks and a soft choking sound she would make every moment or so. Bonnie laid down beside her on her right and Caroline took her left. Even though Elena was still upset with her best friends, she needed them. They wrapped their arms around their friend and let her fall into them to grieve.

Bonnie looked at Caroline whom looked sad and sorrowful. Nobody deserved to die, but especially Mrs. Gilbert, as Mrs. Gilbert was only ever friendly to people. And now…she was a frozen, wet, likely blue dead body in the morgue.

Right then, Bonnie made a promise (as did Caroline) that they would protect Elena at no cost. And that they would always be there for her.

~x~

The morning came after long hours of pain for the Gilbert family. Elena forced herself out of bed, her best friends asleep soundly. She walked down the steps without waking anyone and headed to the kitchen. Her thoughts were haunted by her mother. Yes, Elena had survived this once, but, she had felt so safe now.

Elena stepped into the cold kitchen and began to pull out bacon, eggs, butter, pancake mix, cheese and bread. She turned on the mini grill her mother had gotten from her dad for Christmas a few years ago and placed the bacon on it; then began to butter the bread to make grilled cheeses for the family and her friends.

Her thoughts went to Miranda. Her mother had died alone this time, without her father there to comfort her. And now, Grayson would be without his other half. Elena closed her eyes as she took in a shaky breath.

You've got to hold it together. You can't afford to break down now, Gilbert. Jeremy, dad, Aunt Jenna and everyone else needs you to keep it together. Elena firmly told herself. As she made breakfast, it seemed like she only to blink before everything was ready. She dished it out and waited for people to come down the steps. Caroline and Bonnie were the first to appear, giving her pitying looks.

Elena smiled weakly. "I made breakfast,"

The two girls looked at each other before moving over to hug Elena. Elena, who was done with crying, held it together as best as she could. Then, the three friends sat together at the table, huddled together while they began to eat.

10 minutes into breakfast, Grayson stumbled down the steps. "Is Jeremy home yet?" He asked. Elena shook her head. Grayson nodded and took to the cabinet Elena knew housed the boozes. Grayson and Miranda Gilbert did not drink often but they did drink once in awhile. Grayson pulled out a bottle of whiskey and Elena looked so saddened at the thought.

"I made breakfast,"

"I'm not hungry Elena." Grayson said his voice somewhat forceful. He opened the bottle and took a large swing. "Don't bother me today."

Elena watched as Grayson went up the steps back to his room. Caroline patted her back.

"He's just grieving," She tried to reassure her friend, but she knew she was failing.

Bonnie nodded. "Come on, let's finish eating here and then go for a walk." She offered. Elena nodded and went back to eating. Bonnie put on some music when Lullaby by Josh Groban (feat Ladysmith Black Mambazo) came on.

Elena listened to the music and could feel the tears prickling in the corner of her eyes but she held them in. After they cleaned up the food and dishes, the three friends went out of the house, locking the door behind them and making sure Grayson had a note from them in case he came looking for them.

As they were walking, Elena wondered how she was going to go on. Her mother was dead. Yes, she still had her dad and her brother, but Miranda was so special. She was so kind and loving.

What am I going to do? Elena wondered.

~x~

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Now, Damon, he was beyond mad. He was confused, hurt and angry. He needed answers and it seemed like Elena thought he was stupid or something. He went back to the boarding house, he got there and it appeared to be around 12:00am-ish. It was dark so he didn't fear dying. He entered the building, his temper boiling.

Stefan was inside sitting in front of the fire, looking somewhat nervous. Damon could actually smell the nerves on his baby brother. Stefan turned when he heard Damon enter. "Damon," His voice was bitter.

"Stefan," Damon said in a mocking tone. He walked right to the boozes and made him a pure bourbon drink. He leaned against the bookshelf, looking at Stefan who was scowling. "Where's my ring?"

"Zach had hid it," Stefan said and Damon picked up on an icy tone. "And you killed him. You really should have thought that one through."

Damon glared. "You wouldn't let Zach hide it. I know you; you would need to know where it was 100% of the time! So I'm going to ask one more time. Where is my ring?" His voice turned into a growl.

Stefan acted like a little kid. "I'm not going to tell you."

He could threaten Elena and Stefan's little human friends, but Damon couldn't. Damon had grown too attached to Elena and well, now he couldn't even think about her without his temper flaring. "I'll start kill random people Stefan. Make the murders lead right back to you. But then again," Oh he could so threaten him! "You killed that human without much of my help, eh? What would Elena and your human friends think if they knew the real you?"

"You wouldn't!" Stefan said dramatically.

"Mhmm," Damon hummed as he took a sip of his bourbon- finding that there wasn't any vervain in it. Good, Damon really needed a drink. "You're the killer Stefan. You're a killer in denial. I, myself, openly can say I've killed people. And it doesn't bother me. But you," He smirked. "It eats you up inside that you've killed people. You've killed people in the most gruesome of ways! So let's try this once more, where is my ring, Stefan?"

Stefan glared at his older brother. He looked like a small child pouting and Damon narrowed his eyes in return. Neither wanted to back down.

"If you don't tell me right now I will tell Elena what a monster you are."

Stefan caved. "Whatever," He sighed heavily as he scowled to himself. "Zach put it in the ruins of the church."

Damon felt his heart stop for a moment, remembering "the church". It was where Katherine had "died". But of course in that moment, Damon felt the stone in his pocket become heavier, and he knew deep down Katherine was alive. And she was in that tome! "Now, was that so hard?" Damon said in his joking manner with a wide smirk. Stefan glared at him some more. "See you later, baby brother." And with that, Damon snapped Stefan's neck so his innocent baby bro didn't come and try to stop him.

So, Damon took off running towards the ruins. It was still very early in the morning- still night outside. He arrived there and picked up the ring, seeing as how it belonged to him. He set it on his finger and let out a content sigh. He was safe now. Damon looked around and swallowed, thinking of the starving Katherine under the ground. He thought of his feelings for her- which seemed not to be there anymore. But really, could he be sure? Did he love her?

He shook his head.

No, I don't love Katherine. She may be my first love, but my heart belongs to Elena. At the thought of the brunette, Damon became bitter. He needed a plan to get Katherine out of the tomb. And he needed one fast.

~x~

PRESENT TIMES

As Elena, Caroline and Bonnie walked together, they each thought of many things. Their minds wandered. However, they mindlessly chatted together, trying to keep their focus off the death of Miranda Gilbert. Caroline at the moment was telling them a grand story of the one time she had slept with a guy at a cheerleading Expo. Bonnie laughed at the tone of the story, it sounded so silly- but Elena's mind was not on any of this.

She was thinking about her mom and she was thinking about Damon. Things were out of her hands- she couldn't protect her friends, her family. If Miranda wasn't safe, what made Jeremy or Grayson or Jenna safe? What made Bonnie safe? What made Caroline safe? What made Damon safe?

She swallowed the lump in her throat, at the mere thought of Damon not being safe. She would surely die if Damon did.

"Elena,"

She looked up and found that they had wandered to the Grille. "Huh?"

"We're going to bribe Vicki to get us some drinks, want anything?" Caroline asked. Bonnie looked sorrowfully at her friend.

Elena agreed and the three friends headed inside. The Grille wasn't packed, surprisingly. They wandered over to the bar, Vicki was working the bar. "What can I do for you ladies?" Vicki asked, sounding annoyed and like a robot.

"Three tequilas, please," Caroline said handing over some extra money. When Vicki looked unconvinced, Caroline used the look. Elena looked around the room, not seeing Caroline mouth Elena's mom died to Vicki. A moment later, the three girls had a drink in their hands. "Let's find a table." Caroline stated as she led her friends over to a booth.

Elena mindlessly followed and sat down, taking a drink. What she hadn't noticed, was that Damon was there. He was watching her closely. He knew he couldn't hide from her forever, but he needed to think and carefully…

"Hey," All three girls looked up and found Matt. "Can one of you explain to me why Vicki is serving you three tequilas?"

Caroline huffed. "Don't ask if you don't want-"

"My mom died." Elena said looking up at the blonde boy. Matt looked taken aback. "She died last night actually. Car crash. Figures huh?"

Bonnie patted her friend's shoulder comfortingly. None of them caught on the small joke she had played. "I'm so sorry," Matt said as he joined them at the table. He took hold of Elena's hand. "I didn't know."

"I don't think my dad wants people to know," Elena admitted. "He's acting really weird. I get that his wife died, but he still has Jeremy and me, right?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah he does, but he's grieving too." He noticed that Elena had finished her glass. Matt waved to Vicki whom came over and refilled each girl's glass and even brought Matt over a glass. "Let's do a toast. To Miranda Gilbert, a woman like no other!"

Caroline, Bonnie and Elena raised their glasses to that before they each took a drink. It seemed like nothing had changed between the friends, like Elena hadn't broken Matt's heart and that Caroline hadn't tried to sleep with the guy Elena was in love with. And that Bonnie wasn't a witch…

Damon, whom was across from them on the other side of the room, stared at them. Elena's mom is dead? He blinked, feeling awfully confused about this information. He watched as she played and drank with her human friends. Why wasn't she in a fit of tears? Why wasn't she saying more or something? Damon wondered if maybe, she had been telling the truth. And if Elena really was from the future, how much did she know? Did she know if Katherine was alive and well in the tomb? Did she know if Katherine chose him? All of these questions and Damon needed answers.

And that is chapter 12! I quite like it. Not a lot of Delena, which I am sorry about, but I think, Elena needs her friends right now. You'll likely see more of Grayson and Jeremy next chapter: MAYBE. I'm sorta moving away from the show more now and I won't be following it as much anymore. For a guide line yes, but not really. A guest reviewed my story and they had a SUPER long review which made me beyond happy (you know who you are). You gave me many ideas. I think Lexi will be coming soon, just FYI. Someone else commented that they'd like to see some Caroline/Stefan. What do you guys think?

I may but I am sorta a huge Caroline/Klaus fan myself, but since I'm not 100% sure Klaus will show up in this story, I cannot say. I also have a soft spot for Caroline/Matt!

ANYWAY, I want to thank you all for the lovely reviews. Also, on that note, the long reviewer guest pointed out Katherine. I do not know if Katherine will show up because if she does then Klaus is sure to follow. Would everyone like that? Mhmm I don't know. Honestly. But if you have any ideas, tell me pwease?

This is more of a filler chapter but I think that it is well-needed and a tone down from the drama of chapter 11, don't you all?

RIP Miranda Gilbert, you will be missed!

Nerdy~

REVIEW PLEASE AND THANK YOU

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