Silent Prayers

Chapter 57

The beeping of her alarm was an unwelcome sound the next morning. She reached over blindly to shut it off, sighing when the room was silent once again. She hadn't slept well at all since asking Damon and Katherine to adopt Jeremy the night before. The tossing and turning had kept Stefan awake too, and when she had offered to go sleep somewhere else at 3:00 AM, he had told her to stay.

Even his steady heartbeat against her cheek as she rested her head on his chest had not been able to lull her to sleep like it normally did. Somehow though, she must have fallen asleep eventually. But she knew what little sleep she had gotten would not make for a very fun day at work.

Elena turned over and reached out for Stefan. She frowned when she didn't find him. After rubbing her eyes some and yawning, she threw the covers off of herself and headed for the bathroom to get ready for the day.

She was going to need a strong cup of coffee when she was finished.

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Elena yawned a few more times as she climbed down the stairs. She had settled for a casual pair of khaki shorts and a pink tank top to tackle the warm summer day at work.

Hoping to find Stefan in the kitchen, she found Katherine instead. "Hey" Elena said, pausing in the entrance. "Is Stefan here?" she asked.

Katherine shook her head. "He and Damon took Jeremy and went into work early. Said he didn't want to wake you" she explained. "Left you the Jeep" she added, eyeing the keys on the counter. "Coffee?" Katherine asked, holding up a mug and filling it before Elena had even answered.

"Thanks" Elena said, taking a seat at the counter. Katherine passed her the cup and they both sat in silence for a few moments. Elena tried to focus on drinking her coffee, but she could feel Katherine staring at her, like she wanted to ask Elena something. "I should get going" Elena said, setting her coffee aside and grabbing for Stefan's keys. She was getting uncomfortable with the silence and Katherine's impending question. "Thanks for the coffee" Elena said, standing and turning to leave.

"Elena" Katherine said.

Slowly, Elena stopped and turned around. She didn't have to ask what Katherine wanted. She already knew. "I'll tell him this afternoon" Elena said quietly. It had been less than 24 hours since Elena had asked Katherine and Damon to adopt Jeremy. And while Elena knew it was the best possible outcome for her little brother, it still did not hurt any less.

Katherine simply nodded. It was difficult to contain her excitement over adopting Jeremy. But she also knew that Elena was having a difficult time too. She did not have a reply, and so she watched Elena leave.

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"Elena!" Jeremy greeted the moment she walked into Damon's office. He slipped out of the chair he was in and ran to give her a hug.

"Hey Jer" Elena smiled. She bent down and hugged him back. "So you decided to come to work today, huh?" she asked. Elena looked up at Damon and smiled.

"Yeah, and Damon and Stefan let me drive the tractor" he said, giving Elena the biggest smile.

"I'm glad you had fun" she said, running her hand through his hair. "So listen, I was thinking maybe after I get off of work, you and I could go and get frozen yogurt" she mentioned.

Jeremy's smile returned. "This is the best day ever!" he said, raising his hands up in the air. "Is Stefan gonna come with us?" he asked.

Elena shook her head no. "Just you and me" she answered.

"Okay" he said, leaving her arms and going back to the table he had been coloring at.

Elena stood back up and adjusted the bag on her shoulder. She looked up to see Damon watching her. "Do you want me to take him to my office?" she asked.