Dusk til Dawn | n.mikaelson (book one)

XI: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Briana didn't sleep much that night. She mostly tossed and turned trying to escape the memories of her summer with Klaus played on repeat in her head. She hated the smile they brought to her face, especially when she thought of all the pain he caused Stefan and Elena within the past 24 hours. 

She rolled over in her bed finally admitting defeat that sleep was no longer an option. She pulled her phone off of her dresser to see the time: 6:10 am. 

She walked downstairs and began to make a pot of coffee. Despite the circumstances that brought her home, Briana was glad to back. This house brought back a sense of comfort and security she desperately needed at a time like this. 

She stared out the window soaking in the newfound silence. This was the first morning in two months she wasn't greeted by the hybrids shy smile. He did his best to bring her coffee every morning before dragging her on his next scheme. 

"Briana, you're home!" 

Briana turned to see the one woman she needed a hug from the most: her mom. 

Briana let out a shaky breath trying to hold back tears as she ran into her mother arms, just like she would when she was a child. Liz engulfed her older daughter in a warm hug. 

Briana took it all in. The warmth of the embrace, the scent of Liz's perfume. She didn't realize how much she had missed this sense of comfort while she was away. 

"I missed you so much, Mom." Briana breathed, not wanting to let go. 

As they pulled apart, Liz brushed a stray piece of hair that fell from Briana's ponytail behind her ear with a comforting smile. 

"I missed you too my sweet girl. Did you find what you were looking for on your summer getaway?" Liz joked causing a smile to creep onto Briana's face. 

"It was a really nice summer. But I've decided I think Mystic Falls is where I am meant to be. At least for now." Briana smiled. Her confidence building as the words left her lips.

Briana had always believed that everything happens for a reason. Her adoption, ending up in Mystic Falls with Liz as her mom, the life she had built here. She truly knew it was meant to be. 

Her smile faded as she thought about Klaus. She knew she was meant to meet him, he was meant to come into her life and change it. But she refused to admit that this is how their story was going to end. And she could only hope there was more to come. That fate, and forgiveness, would bring them back together. 

"Well good, because I'm not ready to let you go." Liz smiled brightly at the brunette. 

Liz quickly gave her daughter another hug before excusing herself from the house to go to work. Briana poured herself a cup of coffee and sat on the couch, taking in the silence and stillness of the morning. 

"There you are. You were asleep when I got home last night, I wanted to make sure you are okay." Caroline smiled softly at her older sister as she pranced down the stairs. 

Briana gave Caroline a sad, and not at all reassuring, smile. 

"I'm okay Care. It's just been a crazy summer followed by a crazy return and it's just a lot to process. Speaking of, how's Tyler?" Briana tried desperately to change the topic of discussion from how she was feeling to literally anything else. She couldn't even begin to deal with all the emotions she had, let alone talk about them. 

"Honestly, much better than I ever would have thought." Caroline spoke. 

Caroline examined the state of her sister as she approached the couch. Briana's hair was a mess, she was still in her pajamas, and her eyes were swollen like she'd been crying with bags under them.