Silent Prayers

Chapter 31

Documents were spread out before her on the kitchen table. Elena's lingering headache was making it near impossible to comprehend anything she was reading.

The only thing she really got out of it was that she was screwed. Her landlord had insurance, so the home would most likely be rebuilt from the fire. But because money was tight, she had not purchased her own renter's insurance.

Everything she had lost was just that. Lost. She really had nothing of value in that house anyway. Anything valuable came from Stefan, and she had left it at the home they used to share together. Except her wedding rings, which she had taken with her and which were currently sitting on her nightstand still where Stefan had set them.

The only things she lost that devastated her were her photos. Her parent's wedding, family photos. Those meant the most to her.

Legally, she was okay. The fire marshal had stated that the fire was caused by faulty wiring, so there was no wrong doing on her part.

The icing on the cake though was her employer calling her all morning and telling her she needed to be in to work that afternoon. She was beyond overwhelmed.

Damon's parents had left the evening before and she was sad to see them go, but was hopeful she would see them again soon.

Stefan also had left to go back to his house, which had disappointed her. She could not stop thinking about what Stefan had told her about his mother. He was hurting, and it made her hurt for him.

She had known that Stefan's childhood wasn't great for some time now, but hearing him tell her about it made it real. And while his childhood did not excuse his behavior, she felt a lot more empathy for him than she had before.

"Hey" Damon said, walking into the kitchen and disrupting her thoughts. "What uh ... what are you doing?" he asked, seeing all the papers everywhere. He had set those aside after reading them over with no intention of letting her deal with them.

Elena blew out a frustrated breath. "Trying to understand these" she said, pushing them away from her.

Damon came and sat down next to her. "I already went over these with my lawyer" he told her. "You don't have anything to worry about except getting better" he added. "How is your inhaler? Do you need a refill?" he asked.

"I'm fine" Elena told him. Really, she was just homeless without a pot to piss in. But she was fine. "I umm ... I didn't have renter's insurance" she mentioned. She waited for the lecture she thought might come. Who wouldn't have renter's insurance to protect against loss?

Damon reached out and placed his hand over hers. "I know" he told her. He had read that in the documents. "Everything that can be replaced, will be replaced, Elena. I promise" he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Elena was afraid he was going to say that. "I've done nothing to deserve you helping me like this" she said. She technically wasn't even family anymore, though sometimes she forgot that.

"That's not true" Damon told her. "You gave my little brother two of the best years he's ever had" he explained. "I've never seen him happier than when he was married to you." He squeezed her hand gently. He had been hesitant at first when Stefan said he was going to propose, but Elena had turned out to be a wonderful wife. It was too bad the marriage ended the way it did. "When you're feeling up to it, we'll go shopping" he told her, ending the discussion.

Elena knew there was no point in arguing. She was not sure what it was about the Salvatore brothers, but their need to put others before themselves was a constant thing. Even after two years, it was still difficult to accept sometimes. "Thank you" Elena said, leaning towards him and hugging him.