Youth ☽ ☾ Klena

20.

A/N Final Chapter!!! Cliffhanger anyway, though XD

Klaus was alone. Two years later and he sat, alone, in the parlour, a whisky in hand. The day had been busy, only making ignoring the inevitable easier. It was Elena's eighteenth birthday today. And, they were going to celebrate. She was alive even after dying.

That didn't say nothing happened to her after the ritual. If anything, she became more loyal but something had turned her personality astray. She was bold now and although she still had a love for writing, she preferred to speak it rather than to write it. Maybe she had just grown into herself, it was her eighteenth birthday today after all. The house was buzzing with excitement and the parlour soon began to fill with helpers, the two hybrids being the most useful. Two years after the ritual and they still were struggling to understand why there were only three hybrids. Two of them, Jemima and Megan. They had drunk the potion too meaning that not only Elena had survived, they did too. Jemima with her sight back and Megan her stitched lips only a memory. Although, the garish scar on her face still left the remanence of the terrible accident.

The two bustled into the room, hitting each other playfully on the shoulder. The two friends liked to joke around a little too much for Klaus' liking but he had grown accustomed to it just as they had become accustomed to his many threats that he never went through on, for Elena's sake.

Since the day of the ritual, Klaus and Elena had only grown closer. Elena had chased after Klaus like a lost puppy and Klaus knew today would be the day he stopped running. She had been catching up, anyway, there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

'Jemima, Megan, start hanging the bunting up.' Klaus ordered, the statement seeming to mundane to be on his tongue. Klaus had shouted many orders in his time but not often had he said the word 'bunting' or any one of the worker's names. Klaus was changing for the better under Elena's influence but she couldn't fix everything. Klaus was Klaus and she accepted that. She loved him for that and today would be the day it was going to finally happen.

Elena, whilst the party preparations were in full swing at home, was at Chloe's house along with Nicole and Rebekah. As part of what some may say was a mad joke, Rebekah had become close with the group and the trio was now a group of four. Despite Rebekah being a thousand years older, she looked the same age and the rest could only assume she was in her early twenties. They had spat out the lie that Rebekah had grown up alongside Elena and every time it was brought up it took all of Elena's strength to stifle a laugh. She wasn't born in the 1000s.

The girls chatted, waiting patiently for the party. This would finally claim Elena and adult. Nicole's eighteenth had been back in December so she wasn't the oldest- and Rebekah was there too- but Chloe was only two days after hers so they had agreed to turn eighteen together.

'Klaus better remember that this is Chloe's party too. I know he wants to go all out on me but it's for Chloe too.' Elena groaned, thinking through all the possible negative outcomes of letting Klaus plan the party.

'Elijah is there too, you'll be fine.' Rebekah reassured, smirking. She knew something Elena didn't- Klaus' present. Klaus' oh, so special present and she felt giddy just at the thought of it. But, she had a good poker face and the girls had reached no conclusion that Rebekah knew anything more than they did.

'It's fine, Elena. It's your actual birthday. We're still celebrating mine in two days; I already said we were going to have a sleepover like the old days!' The girls smiled, memories creeping up on them expectedly. They were all so happy and it was a stark contrast to memories of such dark times with Klaus. Although, the happier moments with Klaus shone brighter than any memory with her friends good. And, nothing was good without bad too. Good isn't good without bad. Elena had accepted that long ago.