Elena could do nothing but worry about Stefan. She knew that he was spending a lot of time with Caroline, except they haven't seen each other since the day he found out about the news. The next morning, the girls were out wedding dress shopping. Elena had lost count of how many dresses she had tried on that Caroline picked out. "We've spent two hours picking out dresses that I don't like." said Elena. The girls were outside at a local coffee shop, sitting outside and having their daily dose of caffeine. It was then her phone rang. She saw Stefan's name appear on the screen. She hesitated a moment before answering. "Stefan?" After having been friends since their break up in high school, it almost felt like this was the longest time the two had spent without talking to each other.
"Are you still in Richmond?" asked he. Elena exchanged glances with her friends and answered Stefan's question that they still were looking for dresses. "Well, I talked with your aunt Jenna, who told me that there is one dress that you can wear that you might like." Elena was a bit confused and agreed to see Stefan at Jenna's place. She hung up her phone and the three friends drove out of Richmond back to Mystic Falls. As soon as Caroline had dropped Bonnie off at her place, she and Elena had driven back to their apartment. "Why did Stefan call?" asked Caroline. Elena could tell that her friend was upset that Stefan didn't ask about her. She said that she had to drive over to her aunt Jenna's place. When Elena had arrived at aunt Jenna's place, she saw Stefan's car parked out in front of the house. She figured he must've arrived before her when she didn't see him in the driver's seat.
Elena entered the house, calling out to her aunt that she was at the house. "We're in here!" She heard Jenna's voice call out from the kitchen. It was an immediate surprise to see, not only Isobel, John. Her brother, Jeremy was seated in the kitchen as well. Elena said she wasn't exactly expecting the company, other than Stefan. "We heard about the engagement and wanted to congratulate you in person." said Isobel. Elena didn't know how to react but politely say thank you. She heard the front door open and close behind her. She turned her head to see Damon had entered the house. She was wondering why everyone was here. In her mind, she still wished that Alaric and her adoptive parents were alive to see her get married. She knew that they would be happy for her. "I think it's about time we have a family get together. It's not going to be every day that we have a gathering like this." said Damon.
Elena knew that he was right. Their families were only united through the two of them. "Elena, there's something I want to show you. Come with me." smiled Jenna. The two of them had left the room, leaving everyone else in the dining area to talk. Upstairs, Elena was sitting on Jenna's bed. She didn't know what her aunt was looking for. "Here it is!" Jenna pulled out a box and handed it over to Elena. "Your mother would've wanted you to have this." Elena opened up the box. Inside was a beautiful white dress with some lace. It was her mother's wedding dress that she had recognized from the pictures in their living room. She thanked Jenna by giving her a hug.
"I thought you would—"
"It'd be wasted on me. Besides, Stefan had asked me if I still had your mother's wedding dress." Jenna interrupted. Stefan? Elena glanced down at the dress again. She smiled softly and put it back into the box. She took the box and decided to place it in her room before heading back downstairs with Jenna. During dinner, Elena had asked if she could talk with Stefan alone. The two of them had gone upstairs to her room. Elena closed the door behind him. "How did you know about my mother's wedding dress?" asked she.
"Well, I saw the picture in the living room. I knew that you were in Richmond with Caroline and Bonnie. Actually, I was coming over to talk with your aunt about a different question until the wedding dress topic was brought up. She said she received a text from you about how you had tried on every dress but didn't feel like you could be yourself in them." said Stefan. "However, this dinner idea is all Damon."
"You've finally met my birth parents." Elena sighed and sat on her bed. Stefan sat down beside her and placed his hand on top of hers. This was a way to show reassurance. Elena smiled over at him, gazing into his green colored eyes. As much as she loved Damon, there was still a part of herself that still cared about Stefan. "I'm happy Care has you." she smiled. Stefan nodded before pulling his hand away and suggested that they go downstairs before anyone starts to question how long they've been upstairs. They retreated downstairs to finish their dinner. Elena had gotten the box from her room and carried it out to her car. She bid her family goodbye, leaving the house with the Salvatore brothers. "What's in the box?" asked Damon.
"You'll see it at the wedding." Elena smiled as she was placing the box in the passenger seat of her car. Damon asked her if she was going to the apartment or was following him to the Salvatore boarding house. "I'm actually going to hang out with Matt for a bit." Both brothers were surprised to hear this. Elena then got in her car and began the drive to Matt's house. If there was anyone she could open up to, it had to be none other than Matt Donovan himself.