Forever Is Not Enough

A Mother and Sister

1864 - Mystic Falls, Virginia

Since the day Jeremy Gilbert was born, his sister had developed what even her own mother would call an obsession. It was as though her compassion for every living thing suddenly turned all of its attention to her brother. She was rarely without him. The wet nurse was only allowed to feed him, and then care for him when Elena couldn't. Their nanny, an elderly woman named Samantha who died only weeks after Elena turned fourteen, was treated the same way. Elena would pick out Jeremy's clothes and help boil the water to bathe him in. She read to him and tried to teach him when he got old enough. She loved him more fiercely than anyone or anything else. She learned to ease her grip as he got older, but it tightened once again when their mother died, and more when their father followed.

This trait did not come as a shock to anyone. This was a girl who cried when she found a dead snake in the yard and gave it a funeral. This was the girl who would sneak loaves of bread from the kitchen and give them to the hungry children she would see in town. This was the girl who somehow got a horse into the house so it wouldn't be cold in the out in the barn. Even with the trouble she caused, Miranda Gilbert was quite proud of her daughter. She knew she would make a beautiful wife and an excellent mother. It wouldn't be hard for her to find a suitable husband with a good name. Her children would grow up well cared for and educated. She knew all of this because of the way Elena cared for her brother.

Even though her brother grew up and her parents died, Elena's humanity never faltered. If anything, her love for children grew. All of this was perfectly clear when she sat on the floor, cradling a child's face in her hands. Ladies from around town had come forth to offer their condolences and concerns to the family after Stefan's "attack." They brought mixed gifts, like things to entertain a bed-ridden Stefan and baked goods they undoubtedly didn't make themselves. Honoria Fell, who had made Katherine and Elena a new set of dresses after the fire, even brought her daughter in hopes of cheering up Elena.

The ladies in the room lifted their eyebrows at her dress, which spilled out on the rug, but she didn't care. She'd spent so much of her time worrying about Damon lately. In the month he had been gone, she had made fourteen pairs of socks, nine cakes, four batches of cookies, and various other goodies, all of which snugly fit into the wooden boxes she sent to him every week. It only became worse after Jeremy was attacked and she learned all of Katherine's secrets. Instead of sleeping, she stayed awake at night, looking out her window for anyone lurking in the dark. She wrote letter after letter to Damon, expressing her fears, but burned them in the fireplace instead of sending them. But all these worries fell away at the sound of a laughing child.

The little girl, was only two, toddling around in a nice white dress that her mother probably made for her. Her perfect little ringlets bounced excitedly as she ran around the room, showing off. The ladies laughed quietly, but Elena was beaming. She had to resist the urge to grab the girl and squeeze her as tightly as she could.

She was so happy she didn't even noticed Katherine entering the room. "Stefan would like to thank you all," she smiled. "He only wishes he could do it in person." The ladies all offered sympathetic smiles and sat up when they saw servants bringing in tea and cakes. "I only wish I could offer you more in return."

Elena eyed her aunt uneasily. The ladies all looked at her kindly, almost as though they were admiring her. Katherine was so beautiful, and other unmarried women her age would have been called old maids, but no one thought that of her. She was too charming, too alluring. Elena was still unsure as to whether or not she trusted her, but she was reminded that she couldn't let anyone know that when she received a pointed look from Katherine. Elena ducked her head and returned her attention to the child once again. The little girl was standing in front of Elena, grabbing the silver chain of her necklace and tugging on it. "Do you like it?" Elena cooed quietly. "It was my mother's, you know."

"Elena," Katherine called sternly. "Get off the floor. You know better." Elena's cheeks turned red and she did as she was told, but the little girl quickly followed her to her spot on the couch, and climbed onto her lap. "As I was saying," Katherine continued, "help yourself. Quickly, though. I don't want to run you out of here, but I surely don't want any of you walking home too late. You never know what's lurking in the dark." Elena shivered at those words.

Jeremy walked in then, followed by John and Giuseppe. John went straight to his room without saying a word. Giuseppe watched him go for a moment, and then turned his attention to the room, pasting a smile to his face. "Good evening, all. Had I known Miss Katherine was going to throw a party, I would have arranged for better food to be served."

"They came on their own, Mr. Salvatore," Katherine smiled. "For your son. He's quite popular."

"Of course," Giuseppe said with a bow to the ladies. "My son and I thank you."

Jeremy slid unnoticed into the room, joining Victoria in the corner. He took her hand and gave it a small kiss, to which she replied with a small smile, before sitting down. Elena looked away before she got caught staring. Jeremy had told her he was going to ask Victoria's father for her hand soon. It was only a matter of time, but with Stefan's attack, he had decided to wait. Though he didn't know what the council really was, he was desperate to be a part of it, and an engagement might make that hard for him.

Elena frowned. His face was clear of any worry. It was as though he had never died, and according to him, he hadn't. Katherine didn't allow him to remember, and sometimes Elena wished she wasn't allowed to either. She and Stefan had started talking regularly now. She liked to sit with him when she was doing her needlework or when she was reading. They both enjoyed each other's company in place of Damon, and they could talk to each other freely about vampires and other risky things. He'd told her of his and Katherine's affair, and even trusted her enough to relay the information his father was giving him from the council.

Giuseppe began speaking once again and pulled her from her thoughts. "You all should get home soon," he said seriously.

"I was just saying that," Katherine said. "It's no fun to cut the party short, but it's just how things are until you big, strong men can get your hands on that killer."

Giuseppe laughed like a schoolboy talking to a pretty girl. "Don't worry, ladies. We will."

The house was quiet. Elena sat, as she liked to, next to at Stefan's bedside, working yet another pair of socks. Stefan sat bored, as he always did. Katherine had healed him quickly after she bit him, but compelled his nurse to keep treating him as she normally would. The only entertainment he had was pretending to be ill and wounded for those who didn't know. Elena almost pitied him, but she sometimes wondered whether he was doing this all willingly. John, Giuseppe, and Jeremy had gone out once again, as they did every morning. "They meet up at the Town Hall," Stefan explained. "John searched through the rubble and found every piece of paper that would help. They don't have much, but they're not calling off the search. They've been sending out men armed with stakes to try and find the vampire who bit Jeremy, but they haven't found anything so far."

"Then the vampire is getting smarter," she replied, not taking her eyes off of her work. "He's left or he's found another way to feed himself."

"Is Jeremy well?"

"He doesn't remember a thing, but he's set on making his way into that stupid council. John won't let him inside the meetings, so I can't imagine what he does all day when he goes with them."

"Do you think he'll figure it out?"

"I have no doubt. He's as stubborn as I am. He wants to know what's going on."

She was just about to say something else when she heard the sound of rushed footsteps up the stairs. She set her work down at Stefan's side and got to her feet, but Katherine burst in before she could open the door. Worry lines carved her forehead and her mouth was in a pointed frown. "Sit," she ordered. "We have a problem." In her hand, she held onto a yellowed envelope tightly. She handed it to Stefan, but kept her eyes on Elena. "You are going to be calm, Elena."

Elena nodded, and she already felt her muscles turning from stone to soft clay. She let out a breath. "What is it?"

"It's Damon."

Again, she felt the same disconnect that happened every time Katherine compelled her. Her muscles felt on the brink of tensing and her stomach felt as though it wanted to jump and tumble, but it had lost its legs. She tried to process her emotions as just thoughts, but panic didn't translate. She could only stare blankly, rigidly. "Is he dead?"