ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH | TVD [4]

XXIX • THE NEXT TIME I HURT SOMEBODY, IT COULD BE YOU

twenty-nine. the next time i hurt somebody, it could be you

Salvatore Boarding House

Stefan is writing in his journal at the kitchen table alone at late dawn with a sad expression on his handsome face, 'Dear Elena, This might be my last entry. There may be no tomorrow. So, the present I'm giving myself this Christmas is the present...today. To get the twins back, I made a deal with the devil. At midnight, I have to leave my life behind. Even though I just pledged it to Rosie forever. If I can't find a way out of this, please remind her...I tried. I did everything I could to get back to her'.

Upstairs, in their bedroom, Rosie awakes from her slumber and turns to her left side of the massive bed to find Stefan not there and she is still deeply upset about his firm decision to sacrifice himself for Josie and Lizzie. Once she's showered and dressed in her comfortable dark green robe, Rosie goes straight downstairs when she can smell breakfast from the kitchen and sees the big decorated Christmas tree in the living room and the big dining table set up with empty fragile plates for Christmas Eve dinner later on. Stefan is cooking in the kitchen behind the stove when his fiancé walks in, smiling.

"I thought we agreed to cancel." The young woman spoke.

"Yeah, but you've been planning this Christmas Eve dinner forever, so we... are going to do it." The incurable romantic young woman smiles in return.

"That's really sweet, but you know it's not about my plans."

"I think our last day of life as we know it should be a little bit less depressing than my deal with Cade, don't you? So, today..." Stefan holds her face in his hands, "...we are going to do what people do on Christmas. We're going to eat more than we should and we're going to drink until our friends and family seem somewhat normal." Rosie smiles and leans in to kiss him, her arms wrapped around his body, "That's what I want today to be. Okay?"

"Okay." His vampire fiancé smiles adorably at him in return.

****

Someone is knocking at the front door and Caroline opens it, "Hi, girls!"

"Merry Christmas, Mommy!" Josie and Lizzie rush in to hug her, giggling.

"Oh! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!"

"Oh! Let me help take your jackets off." Caroline does so for her daughters.

"I'm afraid we're not going to be able to stay very long." Alaric remarked.

She looks up at him, "What? Why? This is my last day with them for a while."

"Yeah, well, uh, I take it you haven't spoken with Matt." The man walks over to the living room as the twins are trailing after him, along with Caroline.

His ex-fiancé shakes her head with a truly puzzled frown, "No."

"Is Seline coming to dinner?" Josie asked hopefully with pure joy.

Caroline turns to her daughters in shock, folding her arms, "No, honey."

Isaac shows up and kneels down to face both of the adorable twins, "Hey! I thought I heard you two. I have your Christmas present upstairs."

"Yaaay!" The three-year-old twins simply follow the young man upstairs.

Caroline turns to her ex-fiancé in disbelief, "They're asking for Seline?"

Alaric avoids eye contact with her sheepishly, "I know."

"She kidnapped them."

"I guess they didn't register the danger. No, they just keep asking for her ever since I got them back." And it worries me. He shakes his head a little.