Silent Prayers

Chapter 4

The crowd was lively at an afternoon Braves game, and Stefan was happy that Damon and him had made the drive down to Atlanta to watch the game. Both chomped down on the polish dogs loaded with relish and onions that they had purchased on their way to their seats. "So, Elena's moving in with me next weekend" Stefan said, figuring it was as good of a time as any to tell Damon. He had already told Damon about how Elena had lost her parents and lived all alone. He told Damon pretty much everything, because Damon usually had great advice. If nothing else, Damon was a great listener.

Damon nearly choked on his food though, setting the rest of it aside and desperately reaching for his beer to wash it down. "What?" he asked, not trusting his own ears.

Stefan nodded. "She decided to go to school here, needed a place to stay, and I suggested that she move in with me" Stefan stated. "I've got the extra room" he reminded.

Damon sighed. "Oh, Stefan" he said, getting ready to give his lecture. "I know you like the girl, but asking her to move in?" Damon asked. He didn't think it was a good idea at all.

"She's moving in as a roommate" Stefan assured him. "People move in together on short notice all the time" he said defensively. That's what college was all about.

Damon opened his mouth to argue, but realized he didn't have a valid argument that wouldn't lead to a fight. Even if they had a great relationship, they still sometimes butted heads over certain things. "Look Stefan, I don't want to tell you what to do" Damon said instead.

"Then don't" Stefan shot at him. "Be my brother, not my parental figure." He was really excited about Elena living with him. He wanted his big brother to be excited for him too.

Damon felt horrible for questioning Stefan. Sometimes he really did forget that Stefan was 22. "You're right. I'm sorry" Damon told him. "If you and Elena made the decision to live together, then I support it" he stated.

"Really?" Stefan asked hesitantly. He couldn't tell if Damon was being honest or just accepting the news to avoid arguing.

"Really" Damon said, nodding his head. He smiled and slapped his brother's back. "So, can I do anything to help?" he asked, resuming eating his ballgame snack.

Stefan smiled as he relaxed back into his seat. "Elena is going to need some help moving" Stefan told him.

"I can take all of Sunday off. We can take one of the company trucks and drive up there" Damon offered.

"Thanks" Stefan said, knowing he could count on his brother for help. "This is going to be a good thing, you'll see" he said confidently.

Damon wanted to believe his brother, even though he still had his concerns.

XXXX

Moving day had gone exceptionally well, thanks to Stefan who had enlisted Damon's help. Elena had been a packing machine the entire week, boxing everything up and labeling everything she would be taking with her. She didn't have too much to take, keeping in mind that she was moving into Stefan's place and she didn't want to take up too much of his space. Anything she wasn't bringing along was being donated.

Elena sat on the floor of her new bedroom in Stefan's apartment, surrounded by large and small boxes housing the only belongings she had left. She felt overwhelmed. She had all those boxes to unpack, and she was in a brand new place. The realization of this change in her life was hitting her all at once as she sat silently in her new room.

Stefan tapped on her doorframe, grabbing her attention. "You doing okay?" he asked. He hadn't seen much of her since he had helped her move all of her boxes into her room. That had been over an hour ago.