THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Family Night [1/1]
Title: Family Night
Chapter: 1/1
Author: ladyknight_fic
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries (TV-verse)
Characters: Elena Gilbert, Damon Salvatore, mentions of various others
Pairing: implied Stefan/Elena with a hint of Elena/Damon
Genre: Family/Hurt/Comfort
Rating: G
Summary: "Damon, what is this?" He smiles down at her, shrugs and says, "Family Night."
Spoilers: up to and including 2x22 "As I Lay Dying"
Warning(s): none
Word Count: 403
Disclaimer: These characters are the property of L. J. Smith, Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec.
A/N: I'm so sorry this sucks so much. When I started it, I had every intention for it to become light-hearted and funny, and then...it didn't. It got kind of cheesy instead. Ugh. Written for The Vampire Diaries Free-For-All Comment Ficathon: Part 2 hosted by softly_me.
- o - o - o -
Stefan (and Klaus, and Katherine, but mostly Stefan) has been gone 7 weeks and 3 days when there's a knock at the door one night.
Elena and Jeremy have been compiling all the individual foods they have on the island in the kitchen, trying to piece them together to form some sort of meal (because even though they're on their own and fending for themselves (they'll never be able to thank Damon enough for pulling some strings to ensure they don't get separated and taken away), they're still not grown up enough to get the hang of shopping lists and pre-planned dinners).
Jeremy's poking at almost-stale bread and muttering about cheese toasties, and Elena says something encouraging even as she leaves the room wondering if they'll ever eat properly again. As it turns out, the answer is yes, because she pulls open the front door and is confronted by the (greatly diminished) group of people she loves more than anything else in the world.
And they're all holding food.
"Wha-" she manages to say, before Damon steps past her and ushers everyone else inside.
Carrying casseroles and pre-baked pasta dishes and sandwiches and cakes, they troop off into the kitchen, where she hears Jeremy greet them (or the food they bear anyway) enthusiastically.
"Damon..." She realises she's still holding the door wide open and so closes it swiftly. "Damon, what is this?"
He smiles down at her, shrugs and says, "Family Night."
For a moment, there's a brief flare of pain (where her heart's supposed to be); how can they have Family Night when her family has been whittled down to just Jeremy? But then she hears the voices and the laughter in the kitchen.
Her parents are gone, Jenna is gone, John is gone, Stefan is gone. Even Isobel is gone.
But Caroline is here. Bonnie is here. Alaric is here. Even Tyler is here.
Damon is here. Damon, who, even though she has never been religious, she thanks God for every night before she goes to sleep. Damon who has become her strength and normalcy, who makes sure she gets enough sleep, goes to school, puts gas in her car, because she has been forced to become all those things for Jeremy.
This is her family now, and for the first time the memories of faces that should be here but aren't (and never will be again) don't haunt her.
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