𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄 𝐁𝐘 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄 | 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐄 [𝟐]

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄

CHAPTER TWELVE | IT'S BEEN A HELL OF A RIDE

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

KLARA HAD SPENT THE MAJORITY OF HER TIME WITH HER DAUGHTERS SINCE SHE AND STEFAN HAD THEIR ARGUMENT AT THE HOSPITAL. She engulfed herself in the love that Lizzie and Josie surrounded herself with and hoped that it would be enough to keep her distracted from her current drama, but no matter how badly she wanted it to— it didn't. 

Klara heard giggling coming from the spare room and immediately raised an eyebrow as she followed the noise and saw the two girls wearing their dresses for the wedding. "How the— come on, girls. These dresses are not playing clothes, are they?" The blonde vampire stepped over to her daughters and carefully tugged the dresses from their bodies.

"We're practicing for the wedding!" They both cheered in unison. 

"I know you are, and I understand that it's probably really exciting but, it might not be the way that Mommy thought it was going to be, okay?" A heavy sigh escaped Klara's lips.

Lizzie furrowed her brows and immediately crossed her arms over her chest with a hint of attitude. "Why?" She snapped.

"Uh, that's because sometimes when people love each other, they don't always get married. It definitely doesn't mean that they don't love each other, but it doesn't always work out." As Klara spoke, Josie started to softly cry. "Oh, come on, angel. It's okay." But, a fire suddenly started across the other side of the room that took Klara's attention. She grabbed a patchwork blanket and threw it over the small blaze and suddenly the fire went out. "Girls!" 

"Ooh, Lizzie's in trouble, just like at school." Josie grinned with her hands at her hips while her twin sister crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"At school? What do you mean? Has this happened at school?" Klara watched the twins nod slowly, and heavily sighed. She rolled her eyes and left the room in search of Alaric, who had clearly been keeping things from her. It didn't take her long to find the man right by the liquor cabinet. "So, at what point were you gonna tell me about the girls starting fires at their preschool?"

"Uh. Probably around the same time that I worked out a way to tell you they'd be asked to leave their preschool." Alaric carefully admitted as Klara's eyes widened. "No. No. I was going to once I figured out how to stop it, and could find them another school to go to. There's just nowhere for them to go, Klara."

"I get that, but you lied to me, Ric. You said all of this was new, but they just told me it's happened at school."

"And, I am sorry, but I'm not the only one keeping secrets here." Alaric snapped back. "I mean, what's up with the flower girls dresses in the box here, anyway?"

A heavy sigh left Klara's lips as her face softened. "Uh— Stefan and I have been going through it since he became human. To be honest, I don't think there's gonna be a wedding. Caroline put most of the wedding stuff here, so I wasn't reminded of it, okay?"