Beautiful Accident

Chapter 9: Part of Your World

"So, how is Stefan's brother?" - Elena asked as she took another spoon of her vanilla ice cream mixed with smarties, chocolate syrup and caramel. She wanted to add some pickles in there too, but Caroline stopped her on time. Her eating habits have been strange, especially in these past few weeks. The other day she had a peanut butter sandwich.. with ketchup. Stefan looked at her with utter shock, so when she snapped at him, yelling "What?", he simply laughed, shook his head and said "Nothing". She knew once she has this baby and remembers what she had eaten during her pregnancy, she will regret it, and probably never come close to that kind of food, ever again.

"He's okay. I used to have a huge crush on him when I was a kid, while he was going through his bad boy phase. He found out about it and teased me mercilessly" - Caroline started talking really fast, but by now, Elena got used to it. Since Caroline came back from Europe, she's been at their apartment every day, keeping Elena company when Stefan wasn't there, trying to get to know her better, although Stefan warned her there are some limits she should not cross, and that if Elena wants to tell her secrets to her, she will, with time, like she did with Lexi. She hasn't told anything to Stefan yet, though. Stefan knew his friend needed warning, because when it came to some things, she had no control over her own tongue. "But that's beside the point" - she said when she noticed Elena looking at her confused. "Both Damon and Stefan have very traditional beliefs. Damon married and became a father early in his life, and I think he doesn't want the same for Stefan. Although Stefan is already older than Damon was when he became a father" - Caroline shrugged while going through Elena's collection of nail polishes. Finally she chose dark pink one, opened the bottle and started applying it on her nails.

"He's unhappy with his life?" - she asked as she scraped the last remains of ice cream on the bottom of the bowl.

Caroline smiled and shook her head. "No, he loves his wife, and his daughter, and he would not change either of them for anything in the world. He always wanted to marry her and have children with her, be he wanted to do some things before that, because now he's not able to. Him and Stefan are more similar than they know, and Damon doesn't want Stefan to miss out on everything like he did" - Caroline explained while pulling the brush of the nail polish gently over the nail of her index finger.

Elena nodded in understanding. She could see Damon's point of view, and after everything Caroline told her, she did not expect Damon being pleasant to her this evening. She was the woman who destroyed his brother's life.

"So" - Caroline started happily while transferring her look from her nails to Elena's baby bump - "Do you think it's a boy, or a girl?" - she pulled a wide smile over her face.

Elena looked down at her baby bump that was popping out under her thin, black shirt. She had put her hand on the top of it and smiled.

"I think it's too early to tell" - she looked back at Caroline who went back to painting her nails.

"I think Stefan would like a daughter" - she said while nodding her head.

"He would?" - Elena asked in surprise. She thought all of the men would rather want their children to be males, at least the first one. Although her mother used to tell her stories how when she was pregnant with her, her dad would put his head on her stomach and call the baby by her name even before they found out the sex of the baby. But she thought that's something mothers say to their daughters when they come into their teens and stop being daddy's little princesses.

Caroline raised her head up and wiggled her lips. "He doesn't talk to you much about the baby, does he?" - she asked, although to Elena it seemed she already knows the answer.

Elena shook her head. "No. He often asks how I'm feeling or do I need something. He asked me the same question as you did, and how would I like to name the baby, but he never says what he wants. I know he doesn't want this, he was forced into it" - she had put both of her hands on her baby bump, like she's trying to protect it from her own words.