"Are we out of the woods yet? Are we in the clear yet?..."
Elena Gilbert thought she knew pain, she was not even close. Eudora- a powerful elemental witch- knew pain, she knew loss, mourning and grief better than any other. Her sisters were parts of...
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"Surprise" the group cheered collectively as they jumped out from their hiding places, all looking like a collection of strange people with their party bags and balloons. Caroline was noticeably shocked but not in the way they hoped.
"What are you all doing here?"
"Well, you blew off school and missed our work of birthday art so" Elena placed a tiara on Caroline's head and they beamed.
"Change into warmer clothes" Bonnie urged, not that the vampire could feel the temperature. "We're going to the falls. S'mores, campfires"
"Cake" Elena added on with a beam. "Like when we were little"
"Except with tequila" Matt sang and they all giggled along. Caroline's face, however, did not show that she was impressed by their care and devotion.
"Ah, thanks guys, really" she smiled. "Um... I'm just not really feeling my birthday this year." She informed and they all exchanged shocked glances.
"I'm sorry, what?" Bonnie was shocked. "You've already claimed your birthday as everyone's favourite day of the year"
"It even beats Christmas" the little blonde stated, eyes wide.
"Yeah and now it's just a reminder that technically, I'm dead." That was very blunt of Caroline and it shocked them all. "Look, I didn't even like 17. The only point to 17 was to get to 18. It's a filler year. I am stuck in a filler year."
"Well so is Eudora" Elena tried, the witch nodding along with a smile.
"Except she isn't dead!"
"You're not stuck Caroline" Matt chipped in.
"Yeah I am but it's okay. You know, it's all good. I will be fine. But I just need some time to wallow in it." She shrugged and they exchanged glances again.
"Okay. Well I think I have another idea" Elena beamed.
Collectively, the group approached the Forbes crypt, Matt and Eudora taking up the back of the pack with their arms linked. The crypt was dusty and full of cobwebs that gave Eudora the creeps as they entered the darkness by lamplight. It truly wasn't what any of them had in mind when they planned Caroline's birthday.
"This is creepy" Bonnie giggled but they couldn't all help but agree. "Even for us" Elena placed the cake box carefully one stone table and they cringed collectively.
"No, Caroline's right. Technically, she's dead. Sorry, but you don't need a birthday, you need a funeral" she gestured around her and Eudora exchanges a raised eyebrow with her brother. "You need to say goodbye to your old life so that you can move on with your new one."
"Okay" Caroline relented with a smile, genuinely agreeing with the idea and it made them smile to see her smile despite the day. "Here lies Caroline Forbes." She began.
"Cheer leader" Elena listed, sticking candles into the cake. "Miss Mystic Falls, third grade hopscotch champion"
"Itty bitty control freak" Eudora winked and Caroline smirked.
"She was 17 and she had a really good life." Elena concluded "so rest in peace so that you can move forward" she brought the cake over to Caroline, glancing at Eudora for a second. All eighteen candles lit up simultaneously and they all beamed. "Amen, or cheers or whatever"
"Okay, make a wish" Eudora cheered and Caroline blew out the candles. And then they all took a seat on the dirty dark ground to drink booze and chat rubbish for the rest of the day. They were just popping open the tequila when Elena piped up.
"Caroline, what are you doing?" She urged and they all looked across at the blonde vampire who was texting away as if there was no tomorrow.
"Hmm? What? Nothing"
"Now that's not suspicious" Eudora chipped in as she ate her cake.
"Okay, you're a bad sober liar. You're an even worse drunk liar" Elena giggled and they all couldn't help but agree. That hadn't changed with Caroline's transition.
"I might have texted Tyler."
"Caroline" Elena groaned.
"What? I'm delicate"
"Give her a break" Bonnie scoffed. "You can't control what everyone does all the time" Matt and Eudora froze and shared uncomfortable expressions as she continued to shovel cake into her mouth.
"Wow."
"Ouch Bon" Matt spoke up and stood to stretch his legs for a minute.
"I'm sorry, I know it's Caroline's birthday, funeral or whatever but.. I just feel it's really wrong that you compelled Jeremy to leave town, right Dora?"
"Sorry cousin, I'm not getting involved in this one" the other witch raised her hands in defence.
"I'm doing it to protect him Bonnie" Elena returned as Eudora drank tequila straight from the bottle. "I want to give him a chance at a half way normal life."
"He should be able to choose how he wants to live it. You're taking away his choice" even though Eudora vowed not to get involved, she couldn't help but agree with her cousin.
"Bonnie, you can't tell him"
"Why? Are you going to compel me not to?" The brunette witch scoffed.
"You know, you guys are ruining a perfectly good funeral" Matt pointed out and Eudora rolled her eyes, hitting him in the chest playfully.
"I'm sorry. I'm just going to go sleep it off or something" Bonnie excused herself and Eudora sighed sadly. "Happy birthday"
"Call me later Bonbon" Eudora called as her cousin vanished and she got a general sound of agreement in return.
They were all collectively having a laugh and getting drunk when the doors swung open once more, revealing an uncomfortable Tyler Lockwood.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to crash the party."
"So don't" Matt returned and Eudora shot him a glance, one that he ignored.
"No, it's uh, it's okay" Caroline decided with a smile as she sat up. "Hi"
"Can I talk to you for a second? It's kind of important." She nodded and exited with him, leaving all the others within the tomb.
It was much later, when Caroline returned groggily to tell them that Tyler had ran off and abandoned her once more, that the group finally sighed collectively and called it a night. Eudora went stumbling through the woods, hugging her tequila as she approached the side of the road where a cherry red car awaited.
"Well hey, you look; not sober" Stefan decided and she giggled. "Get in" and she did, snuggling deep into her seat, breathing in his scent that was washed over the car and smiling. It was a good day.
