Forever Is Not Enough

Death

1865 - ?, Virginia

It ended with the cold. First, there was the barren wind blowing under Elena's skin and grazing Emily's fingertips every time she reached out to pet her big belly. Then there was a chill that washed over the town with a layer of ice that frosted the trees and grass. As Elena moved closer to the hearth, with her big smile lit up by the fire and Damon watching fiercely, protectively, all the sweetness had almost gone out of him.

Then there was silence. First, from Emily, who looked on helplessly, waiting to strike at whomever was hurting Elena. Fear kept her tongue still, though. Elena's body had grown frail. Any stress would only put more pressure on her and the baby. That, and things were growing more tense as each day went by. As Elena grew weaker, Damon and Katherine grew more domineering. Elena was the only one of them who smiled anymore. No matter how tired she was, she was always able to reassure Katherine that visiting yet another doctor wouldn't be necessary. She would still laugh and talk with Emily, and she had even begun reading with Stefan as she used to.

When Damon was anxious, and he often was, she would lay his head in her lap and stroke his hair. She would hum quietly until his eyelids grew heavy and he was filled with the sound of her voice and the baby's heartbeat. Until one day, he wasn't. Elena had been very tired that day, but she stayed up late just for Damon and although he entered the room with a smile on his face, it quickly fell away. Something was off, he knew, but Elena looked normal enough. He entered wearily, crawling onto the bed and nestling against her belly as always, listening for any signs of danger. He spent so much time listening to the sound of footsteps going by their door that he didn't realize what he wasn't hearing. There was Elena's voice, sweet like honey and light as a feather, her heart pumping slowly as she began to fall asleep. Then he heard it: he heard the quiet coming from inside her. He turned his head into her and shut his eyes, listening and listening. There was nothing.

There was blood after. Only a little at first; it would stain Elena's gown and Emily would quietly help her change, allowing her to cry for as long as she needed. It was like that for a week. Occasionally, Elena could feel something move in her womb and she would jump up, crying for a doctor who would only tell her what she already knew. She finally delivered a week later, and there was so much blood that she only saw red through the sweat and agony.

And once again, it was quiet. Elena said nothing, spending her days staring out of the window in her room. The phantom of sadness was all she could feel, her memories long compelled away. She watched the day go by and wondered why she was empty. She felt the happiness that Damon had put in her head, but to her, it felt like a horse that had been shot in the leg, struggling to stand, unable to run. Her body was different now, too, and she couldn't explain why. She didn't understand the sad look in Damon's eyes or the indifference in Katherine's. What had she missed? What was she missing?

She sat there so long that Emily finally decided to take her away. It wouldn't be easy. First, she had to get her past Katherine, and then Damon, which would be the real fight. Since the baby, he never left her side. He only left the room for moments at a time to feed on the man in the room next to theirs. He was like a feral dog. No one could come to close to her.

"Being here isn't good for her anymore," Emily said, and even with the spell protecting their conversation, her voice was low.

Katherine sat across from her, calmly sipping on her tea. She took a moment to respond, weighing Emily's words as she smoothed her skirt over her lap. "Where do you expect her to go?"

"I..."

"Mystic Falls would burn her at the stake for her involvement with vampires. I hear it's worse than Salem now."

"Of course, but what if..."

"And I cannot trust Damon to be alone with her."

"Damon will not be coming with us."