A/N: I just wanted to say that I really appreciate you guys for being patient with me. The start of school has officially started for me and I'm working again. So, I'll be trying very hard in between my hectic schedule to bring you all updates that aren't too spread out.
Anyways, enjoy & thank you guys for reviewing, following and favoriting this story. :)
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Must Love Dogs- Chapter Thirty-
"That brother of my husband's...Is a disaster!" Katherine said, picking at her blueberry muffin and glancing down at it as she shrugged.
"I thought you were on a diet, no carbs." Klaus replied, pulling the handle to the fridge as they both glanced over at each other in silence. He watched as she spun around and slide off of the bar stool, rolling her eyes. "The stress of babysitting Stefan makes me eat them, damn it!" Katherine grumbled, stealing Klaus's coffee cup off the kitchen counter and yawning. It was a little past 10 o clock in the morning on a Friday and Katherine had just dropped Izzy off at Maria's so that her daughter could spend some quality time with her grandmother.
"What are you even doing here?" Klaus asked her in a curious tone and with an even more intriguing glance. Damon and Stefan had only been gone for two days and Katherine was seeming to fall apart a little without her husband there. She licked her lips and sighed out a breath, pressing her back against the counter and then hearing what sounded like a woman's voice coming from the hallway, she was humming a tune. Although, once their eye's met, she instantly stopped.
"Kat..Kather...Katherine!" Caroline stammered out, tightening her light yellow colored robe around her waist and placing her arms across her chest as she stared back at the brunette who was now sipping away at the hot steaming mug of coffee in her hands.
Caroline watched as Katherine smiled a little, staring back over at Klaus and then turning her attention once more back to the stunned blonde who was half naked, standing in Stefan's living room.
"So, how long have you two been sleeping together?" Katherine questioned with a smirk, hearing Klaus choke out a breath and spit his coffee out in to the sink.
"We...um..." Klaus's voice trailed off as Katherine tapped her nails against the granite counter top and sighed out a loud exhale. "Don't answer that. Because to be honest, I don't care and I'm the least bit interested in finding out."
Caroline tapped her bare feet against the flooring in Stefan's house and glanced over at her. "It's not what you think. We just came over here because my shower is broken at my apartment and Stefan had given me a spare key to his house for emergencies." Katherine laughed a little, running her fingers though her hair as her lips turned into a straight line.
"I hope you sanitized that bath tub because Stefan's been a bit playful in there with some very gross looking women." Caroline's face turned pale as Klaus coughed loudly, watching Katherine shrug her shoulders back as she stepped towards Caroline and smiled. "Guess you should have stayed in your apartment. Because, this place is crawling with all sorts of gross germs since that trainer girl Elena left him. My husband's little brother has been a mess. Although, I'm hoping that being away from here will force him to pull himself together a bit."
Katherine took a step in between them both. Caroline was still standing in the living room and Klaus was behind the counter in the kitchen as they watched her lock her eyes on them with a grin. "Speaking of trainer girl. Which one of you is going to help me in finding her aunt a new place to work at since that disgrace of an ex wife of Stefan's ruined everything that they had?"
Klaus scratched his head and looked over at Caroline, then back over to Katherine. "So, that's why you're here?" He asked.
She nodded, placing her hands into the back pockets of the tight dark blue true religion jeans so was wearing while she rocked back and forth on the soles of her feet. "Yes. I'm here because my husband doesn't trust me enough to work alone. So, one of you gets to babysit me and make sure I don't screw this up while he's out there making big real estate investments and keeping Stefan in line." Katherine explained.
Klaus ran his fingers through his hair and sighed out a breath. "So, what are we doing then?"
"You and I are going to meet with Jenna Saltzman and neither of us are telling her that we're associated with Stefan Salvatore. Because, my husband told me to not mention him. Although, I'm fairly sure she knows who we are and will probably try to kick us out the minute she see's us. So, just be prepared for that." Katherine said, grabbing her purse off the counter. Klaus and Caroline watched as Katherine's hand touched the door handle of the front door. She leaned back against it for a moment with pursed lips. "Get dressed, both of you are coming with me. I'll be in the car, waiting!" She snapped, opening the door and leaving just the way she had entered into Stefan's house, as if she owned the place.
"Nice to see you with proper clothes on blondie." Katherine commented at Caroline as she slipped her sun glasses over her eyes and opened up the sun roof to her light gray Bugatti Veyron sports car.
"Where'd you get the car?" Klaus asked, running his fingers over the leather interior as Caroline watched him nearly drool over how nice is was.
"I borrowed it." Katherine leaned over, winking at them both.
"Stefan doesn't have this kind of car. But, it does seem awfully familiar." Klaus replied as Katherine laughed a little, throwing her head back and feeling as her foot hit the gas pedel, sending the car roaring to life and them briskly across the parking lot in reverse.
"Will you relax. I didn't steal the damn thing. It should be familiar. You bought your sister this car for her birthday I think it was. Anyways, I borrowed it from Rebekah. Let's just say that she's loaning it out to me without her permission. You know, since she can't pay the payments on it since she's broke. I figured that I'd drive it around town for a bit so that it doesn't get all old and rusty." Katherine stated, hearing Klaus's fingers tapping against the arm rest in the car. "How did you get the keys from her? It's not like she would hand them over willingly. Especially, not for this car."
Katherine snorted out a laugh, turning on the blinker as she merged on to the freeway. "Oh, she didn't. But, Elijah was more than willing to hand them over after I made him an enticing offering."
"What did you do now, Katherine!" Klaus shouted, sending a loud rumbling noise through the car as Caroline shook from the loud tone in his voice. He was furious already and he hadn't even heard the rest of the story yet.
"Oh, Klaus. I just told your brother that he should work with us and if he did. We could give him a better position instead of being Rebekah's puppet. It's a gradual process of turning him against her. However, luckily for me a little persuasion always works." Katherine commented with a beaming smile as she fixed her sun glasses.
"Please, tell me that you didn't cheat on Damon and sleep with my brother to try and get him on our side!" Klaus spat out as Katherine turned her head to him. Her cheeks were red and there were tears trying to escape from her eyes because she was stifling a laugh.
Katherine wiggled her left hand in front of his face as if she was trying to remind him of the one thing they all already knew about her. "Of course not! I am a happily married woman and I would never do that to Damon! All I did was go to your sisters condo and noticed Elijah was standing against this really nice car. Well, come to find out that he's getting sick of her too. According to your brother ever since I drained your little sister's assets and am making her life a living hell because she barely has any spending cash and no one will give her a loan for anything since she doesn't have a job anymore either. She's been cooped up in the condo and not wanting to leave because she's afraid that someone is going to steal that from her too. She's paranoid, Klaus! And Elijah is sick of it. He wants an out from her and I gave him one. If he works with us to get her out the country and make her stay out of it. Then, he can have the car back, until then I'm the proud new owner of it."
Klaus stared at her blankly, licking his lips. "So, what did you trade for this thing? Because you do realize that we're playing around with a 1.7 million dollar car..Right?" He asked as Katherine smiled.
"Oh, I told him that he could have Damon's vintage and old beat up looking 1969 blue Camaro." She added, turning towards the exit that lead to Jenna's house as the inside of the car stayed silent and all that was heard from both Caroline and Klaus were two collective sighs, although they weren't ones of relief. They were ones filled with worry about what would happen once Rebekah found out that Katherine had once again messed with her.
"Relax you two. I'm fully aware that Rebekah is going to find out about me taking her car for a bit and I'm actually looking forward to seeing her again. It's been a few weeks since I've seen that hibernating poisonous snake. Personally, I think it's time that she comes out and plays with us. Actually, I can't wait for it." Katherine told Klaus, squeezing his arm as she placed her hand back on to the steering wheel and told Klaus to tell her the address of Jenna's house.
After a half hour of trying to find out where Jenna's house was, Katherine had finally managed to park the car near the curb and told both Caroline and Klaus to come with her. Caroline watched as Katherine stepped on to the porch, straightening out her Calvin Klein ruby red short sleeve top and fixing her hair before knocking on the door. Two loud and continuous barking noises were heard in the background as a man's deep voice told them to be quiet.
"Hi there, can I help you?" Alaric asked them as the door opened, glancing over at the three of them with a wide eyed expression on his face, turning his attention from Klaus all the way to Katherine. He watched the brunette fluffy her curly hair and bat her black mascara covered eye lashes at him before she spoke. "We're sorry to intrude. But, My name is Katherine Salvatore and I'm here on behalf of my husband and his real estate firm, SD Realty. We have some business to discuss with you and your wife, Mr. Saltzman."
Alaric cleared his throat, turning around as he heard Jenna marching down the hall behind him. "Who's at the door, babe?" She asked, her face turning a bit sour as her gaze swept over Katherine, Klaus and Caroline.
Katherine watched Jenna open her mouth, her hand placing high above Alaric's as she was ready to shut the door. But, Katherine's hand placed on the door frame stopped her while she explained. "Before you slam the door on my face. I'd like for you to hear me out. How about we all sit down and have a nice little chat regarding your wife's niece, Elena Gilbert."
Jenna scoffed, rolling her eyes. "If any of you have anything to do with Stefan Salvatore. I don't want to hear it!"
Katherine smiled sweetly, closing her eyes and huffing a breath before her eyes met Jenna's. "This has nothing to do with Stefan. Now, Please can we come in?" She lied.
Jenna stepped aside, placing her hand on to Alaric's tense feeling shoulders as he turned back to her. "You sure about this?" Caroline heard him ask as Jenna nodded.
"Let them in. We have a lot to discuss. However, if any of you mention my niece's relationship with that young man. I'll ask you to leave." Jenna said bluntly, glaring over at Katherine as she smiled while stepping inside of the house. "We're not here to talk about that Mrs. Saltzman. I'm actually here to help you find a new place for your salon and to help you get your business back up and running after my brother in laws ex wife ruined it. As much as you don't want to trust me. I just want you to know that I don't wish you any ill will." Katherine told her with a serious tone as she stepped inside of the house and watched as Caroline and Klaus followed her inside, nervously glancing at each other.
"Those things aren't always very accurate." Enzo told Elena, sitting and waiting on the couch as he heard Elena pacing the floor. With every movement she took, the old dark cherry wood floor boards would creak underneath her feet. He looked up for a moment though, seeing that her arms were crossed over her chest, head down and her eyes were wide with what looked like shock. Yes, shock! Millions of thoughts, ideas, and questiones were running through her mind and every single one of them was screaming at her in what seemed to be the most basic question of them all."What are you going to do now, Elena?"
Her head was spinning. If it was really true and she was pregnant, it's not like Stefan would want to pick up his life and move to Portland with her to raise the baby, granted that she didn't really like living there anymore either. There were a lot of programs to help single mothers and with her degree as an art major, she was sure that she could find something to help keep her and the baby from living below the poverty line. Then, it struck her. She'd have to tell her mother, brother, Bonnie and everyone else she knew. How were they going to react to that?
"Sleeping around with a man you barely know..How responsible of you!" She could Jeremy spit out sarcastically at her in the back of her mind. Every single negative thought swirled around her head. Then, they stopped with the motion of Enzo's firm grip on Elena's arm.
"Even if you really are pregnant and he doesn't want the baby. Elena, you can do it on your own." Enzo tried to reason with the brunette whose hands were shaking and she looked like she was going to vomit all over herself.
"Who is going to want someone who has a degree and no job? Enzo, I don't have the means to raise a child. I'd be living with my mother and having her help me with the baby. This could change my whole entire life. And, probably not for the better." Elena explained, her eyes following his hand as it slipped off her arm. His eyes were burning into hers, trying to agree.
"Come back to Florida, Elena. Please." He was nearly begging her, his eyes matching his pleading tone as she locked her tearful brown gaze upon him. Tears were brimming on the edge of her lids now and her chin was trembling.
"Pregnant or not. I can't do that, Enzo. I can't go back there!" She exclaimed, looking away from him and trying to avoid his pleading and begging glances.
He laughed a little, the sound of his light brown dress shoes squeaked against the wooden flooring in her apartment as she spun back around to him and shouted out her fears. "Because he's never going to love me like I want him to and even if I told him about the possibility of having this baby, it won't change anything between us. I need someone who is willing to commit to me somewhere down the road. I need a stable relationship so that I can build a family with that person. And I hate to say it. But, Stefan isn't that guy. He doesn't want to feel trapped or tied down and he shouldn't have to be just because we both made a mistake in sleeping together."
Enzo's eyes met Elena's worried gaze. "You mean, if you show up pregnant at his doorstep within a few months or with the baby. You're afraid that if you do that, that Stefan will think that it isn't his and question it all?" He asked her, practically hitting the nail on the head.
Her voice was soft and very quiet as she nodded her head. "Yes. But, it's a lot more than just that." She replied back, swallowing down the rest of her doubts. They were creeping inside of her stomach, settling in the pit of her core and deep down she knew that as much as he was about to convince her of the reasons why she should go back and try things over with Stefan. Elena knew that he'd probably think of her as some sort of pathetic woman.
"Elena, he wouldn't do that." Enzo had softened his tone, becoming a bit more understanding of her fears and uncertainties.
"I can't take that chance. I'm sorry that you had to come out all this way for me to tell you that I'm not coming back. I'm sorry. I really am." She told him, attempting to usher him out of the front door to her apartment as quickly as she could. Enzo watched as Elena opened the door and stood beside it, her arms were crossed and the dried up tears had left streaks of dark blotches on her skin.
"He needs you, Elena. And, to be honest part of me knew that you would decide that you'd not want to consider coming back. Well, I'm not the one who should be trying to convince you in this matter anyways. Stefan should be here, not me." Enzo said, pivoting away from her and towards the door. He heard her breath catch the moment he mentioned Stefan's name.
"He misses you. I think you should know that. Anyway, I guess I'm going to go to my hotel room and wait for the next flight back home." Enzo commented in a low voice before closing the door behind him and leaning his ear against it. He could hear her sobbing as she locked the door behind him.
Elena leaned her head against the closed door as she slide down it, sobbing into her hands and exhaling heavily. She needed a plan and crying about her issues wasn't going to solve anything. "He misses you." Was the only thing she could think about as she slowly pulled herself together. Elena's shaking hands grabbed at her cell phone that she was fumbling with while tears rolled down her cheeks. She exhaled deeply as her fingers dialed his number, waiting with worry as the phone rang.
"New York City, I love this city!" Damon excitedly said as he lifted up his arms in the air and flopped down on to the bed, the fluffy white covers imprinted his body as he got up and noticed that Stefan seemed a million miles away already.
"When are we meeting with Lexi?" He asked, instantly going into a business mode as Damon rolled over and sat down on the bed, placing his hands underneath his head and glancing over at his brother. "We just got here two days ago. Will you relax and enjoy this city a little, brother?" Damon questioned, seeing Stefan's brows furrow. He was tense and worry began to spread across his face.
Stefan smiled a little, shaking his head and placing his hands into the pockets of his khaki colored dress pants. "Yeah, I guess."
"Go down stairs to the bar and get us a bottle of alcohol. You my friend, need a drink to calm yourself down." Damon winked, tossing his credit card at Stefan who slowly picked it up and looked towards the door.
"Fine. I'll be back." Stefan said, grabbing the credit card and his cell phone, noticing that he had a missed called because of the flashing light on his phone.
"Great, go walk off that stress." Damon replied, nearly shoving him out of the hotel and smiling to himself as he heard Stefan grumbled for him to shut up under his breath.
Stefan slowly made his way down towards the bar, finally getting his cell phone out of his pocket while he entered the elevator and flipped through his contacts. There were a few calls from Katherine, one from his dad and another from his mother. However, the last missed call made his stomach fill with knots as he saw her name.
The dinging of the elevator doors opening forced Stefan to look up and shake his head as he thought about calling her back. Since, she had just called him less than what seemed like a half hour ago. He paused near a chair in the hotel lobby, watching a few guests walk past him before he stepped outside into the cooled temperature air and sat down near a bench and the busy street that was filling with traffic. The afternoon sun beat down on his face when he finally picked up the cell phone and dialed her number, his throat felt as if it was closing in on him and his heart raced. Although, the moment that Elena finally answered. Stefan's nerves were a little bit lessened just with the simple sound of her voice.
"I really thought that you weren't going to call me back.." Her voice trailed off, unaware of what else to say as she pictured him smiling on the other line and shaking his head.
"Damon wants to drink and I'm avoiding it. Call it a self detox for a bit. So, I came out here to call you instead. How are you doing?" He asked her as he heard her breathing pick up and in the pit of his stomach he could tell something was wrong. She seemed tired and like she had been crying.
"I'm okay." Elena abruptly replied, swallowing down the rest of what she really wanted to tell him. "So, how's the trip?" She asked, trying to sound a bit more cheerful and avoid the true reason as to why she was calling him.
"You know, you'd loved New York. It's beautiful and so amazing. I want to certainly come back here. Maybe next time, I could come back here with you. We could get one of those nice hotel rooms, go to central park and see the sights. It's beautiful here during the fall months, Elena. To be honest, I really wish you were here with me instead of Damon." Stefan told her, trying to lighten the mood and hoping that she'd cheer up.
"Mhmm, I wish I was there too." Elena replied sleepily, her tone low and soft.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Stefan asked Elena in a concerned tone after he heard her sniffling. "Have you been crying?" He added in.
Elena was silent for a long time, only a few deep breaths and exhales were heard from her side of the phone. Stefan ran his fingers through his hair, glancing down at his shoes and then back out to the busy street. "Elena, calling me about the trip isn't why you called. Is it?" He asked her cautiously, telling that she was already pretty emotional.
She sighed out a shaky breath. "No, it isn't."
Stefan inhaled through gritted teeth, about to speak and add something to what seemed like a fairly stale conversation. Although, Elena cut him off before he could say anything back. "I have something to tell you and I don't know how to say it because I'm afraid that you'll look at me differently and that you'll think I'm a bad person. But, I just...I..." She was stammering out her words, her voice trembling as silence fell upon them both for moment and then she finally uttered out. "Stefan, I took a pregnancy test because I missed my period and I haven't really been feeling like my usual self. Listen before you say anything. I actually just took another one about 15 minutes ago and the results are..." She choked on her words as the tears returned and she began crying into the cell phone that she was holding in her hands.
"Are you sure?" Was all Stefan asked, he was too stunned to ask much of anything else.
"I just, I thought I might be pregnant and now the pregnancy tests confirmed my fears." She inhaled sharply before stating. "I'm pregnant, Stefan." Elena sobbed, gasping deeply and trying her best to calm her shallowed breathing.
"I'm going to get on the next plane out there to see you. Okay? I can be there tomorrow afternoon or something. Elena-." She quickly cut him off, shaking her head as the tears began dripping into her mouth and she slammed her fist against the wooden floor in which she was sitting on.
"I don't want you here so that you see me like this right now. Listen, stay there and finish what you need to do. Then, go back to Florida, Stefan and just live your life. Because, I can do this without you. I don't want you to feel the need to come out here and be with me because I'm carrying your child. I have a support system and a family that can help me through everything." Elena explained her plan to him. Even though it sounded like she was trying to push him away. Deep down Stefan knew that her mind was just racing with thoughts as much as his was within the moment, at least that's what he was trying to tell himself.
Stefan was silent and then he tried to reason with her. "The baby is going to be a part of me too. Look, I might be irresponsible with things. But, I promise that I won't just leave you and our baby high and dry with nothing. I have money that can help both of you, Elena. Please, just let me be here for you. I love you."
She inhaled deeply, trying to process his declaration of love. Was he truly meaning it or was he just feeling obligated to say it now that she was in this new situation? Which ever the case was, Elena was still set on what she had to do now. This wasn't about Stefan any longer or whatever they felt for each other. It was about what she felt was best for herself and whatever the future held for her and their unborn baby.
"This is my responsibility now, Stefan. And, even though I love you too. Although, let's be honest, we aren't even a serious couple and I don't ever see us being one. Up until 2 months ago, we were living completely different lives. I care about you and I do love you. So, that's why as hard as it was. I've decided that I'm going to stay here in Portland and raise the baby when it comes to that point. Please believe me when I swear to you that I never wanted this. Honestly, my intention never was to disrupt your life and it still isn't. That's why I think this option and choice is the best for both of us. Neither of us have to feel tied down by anything. Because, I know how much you hate that. Look, if I need you..I'll call you." Elena commented hastily, hanging up the phone on him before he could disagree with her and tell her how ridiculous she probably sounded in the moment.
The dial tone blared in Stefan's ears as he sat on the bench outside of his hotel, feeling stunned by her confession and a bit ill as to what she had decided. A life without him in it. He continued to sit there and stare out into the busy street. He loved her. Deep down in his heart that was what he now knew. Yet, it didn't seem to be enough to keep her. As Stefan sat on the cold bench, he couldn't stop replaying Elena's words that now felt ingrained in his tired mind. "I'm pregnant, Stefan...Just know this...I never wanted to disrupt your life..."
A/N: Well, that was fairly unexpected... Also, in the next few updates there will be a significant time jump...I just haven't decided in which chapter yet. However, I will let you all know. ;)
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Thanks so much for reading!
-Until Next Time!-