I'll Be Thinking Of You All The While

When the Lightning Strikes

When I wake up, rain still pours outside. It's been raining since Damon and I got engaged, and I'm getting a little tired of it.

I head downstairs and I begin making Evie breakfast.

The curious thing about this storm cycle- there's no thunder or lightning. It's just rain. I'm not complaining, I'm terrified of thunder, but it seems odd, especially since we've dealt with witches before- we know how they screw with the weather.

I hope it doesn't have anything to do with Andromeda. I'm all about forgiving, but I can't forget. If he sees her, it'll bring back a tidal wave of hurt and heartbreak that I want to erase from my memory.

I flip the French toast and move the eggs around when I feel a pair of arms around my waist. I smile as I feel lips against my neck and I sigh. "We've been bad lately."

"It's okay to be bad sometimes." I shake my head. "Not when our daughter is dying, Damon." He turns me around. "Elena," I look down at my feet and he puts his fingers under my chin and makes me look at him. "I remember when I got pregnant with her. I was going crazy because Klaus had taken you but yet I was ecstatic. Evie was the one to keep me alive when I felt like I was going to die. The first time I felt her kick, the bed had only me in it and for the first time I felt like everything would be okay. That little girl up there kept me alive and now... She's dying, Damon. I can't hold myself together because every day she continuously looks weaker and weaker and I don't know what to do anymore." He pulls me into his arms as I begin sobbing and strokes my hair, muttering sweet nothings to me. I pull back and wipe my eyes. "Will you take her some breakfast? I'm going out with Kath."

"Of course, baby." I nod at him then I head upstairs to shower. When I'm dressed and ready to go, I head out to my car and I drive to the Grill. I enter and see her sitting in a booth across the room. I walk over to her and she smiles at me then stands and hugs me. "It's good to see you Kath." She hugs me tightly. "It's good to see you too, Lena." I sit down across from her and the waiter pours me some coffee. I take a sip then I look at my doppelganger. "How have you been?"

"Busy. Evie's getting worse as the pregnancy continues." She puts her hand over mine. "Does Dr. Belmonte know anything you can do?"

"We just have to keep doing what we are now and she should be fine, but... I'm not so sure, Kath. I know I should be optimistic and just have a little hope, but her body is deteriorating as the babies grow." I run my fingers through my hair. "With our engagement, Damon and I have gotten sidetracked and I feel like such a crappy mom."

"Elena, Evie wants you to be happy and live your life." I look down at my coffee. "Evie is my life. So is Sam, Caleb, Luna... I don't know what to do. I'm trying to be strong for her, but I'm so scared." She nods. "I know, Elena. But you had to have known that even with immortality, something always kills us off."

"I know and I've accepted that for myself. But this is different. Losing a child feels like dying, Kath. And I'm just trying to keep it together and just... Feel some sort of relief. But I don't ever feel it and I can't handle it."

"Elena, you can handle anything. You're the strongest woman I've ever known. If Stefan ever did what Damon did? I would not survive that." I blink back tears. "That's the thing, Kath. I didn't survive it. I didn't take care of my son and I ran to Klaus when I finally got out of bed. How is that surviving?" She sighs. "You're still here, Elena. You forgave Damon, made the right choice and realized your feelings for him. You were brave enough to push past the pain and see that love. If that isn't strength, then I don't know what is." I take a deep breath. "You're right. But this, the whole situation? How am I supposed to survive that? Evie is my baby, my little girl. What am I supposed to do?"