We'll Always Have Summer | Stefan Salvatore

Chapter Six

1993 — Mystic Falls, Virginia

   They had been planning it for a while. It was summer, and Mystic Falls was boring, so they decided to head to the outskirts of town, to the lake house that belonged to Bob's older brother. Bob had helped his brother clean the whole house, take care of his daughter, and do so many chores, only so he could borrow the lake house for a few days. It didn't tale a lot of persuading from Bob's brother, it was his sister-in-law that had the last say. Sheriff Forbes was a tough woman with a heart of gold, but full of justice. She said she was going to drop in on them and make sure everything was orderly, which made Bob yell that it was a yes. It was.

   "Are you sure Bill said yes?" Mrs. Gilbert asked as she watched her daughter pack. She had her arms crossed, brows furrowed, and eyes following every step of her only daughter. 

   "For the twentieth time, yes." Florence smiled as she quickly glanced up at her mother, pushing a shirt into her bag. "Mom, you can call Bill and ask. He said yes. Liz said yes. Caroline would have said yes, but she's eight months old so she can't really talk."

   "Elena's birthday is on the twenty-second," her mother reminded her, a stern tone in her voice.

   Florence nodded. "It's her first birthday," she elaborated. "Mom, Elena's not going to remember who went to her first birthday or what she got."

   "There will be pictures," Mrs. Gilbert defended. "How many times have I told you, Florence? Memories are important. She may not remember, but there will be pictures of this for her to see when she gets older. How do you think she will feel when she's told that Aunt Florence didn't go to her first birthday party because she wanted to spend time with her friends?"

   "She'll probably think I'm a cool aunt," Florence chided with a playful grin. She turned to her mother. As soon as she saw the disappointed look in her eyes, her grin faded. "Mom, I'm kidding. I'll be here for Elena's birthday. After all, I did already get her a gift." She went to her closet and came out with a small box with a ribbon on top. She laid the box on the bed and took off the  top, revealing a small plush teddy bear. "Apparently, everyone in the Gilbert family gets plush toys for their birthdays, so I decided to get her this teddy bear." She pulled it out and showed it to her mother with a proud smile.

   Medium sized, coloured a pale tawny with two shiny black eyes and a sown-in forever smile. Its nose was a gentle triangle, which she could bop and tease with her little fingers. Florence saw it while at the mall with Cher, and she thought back to the bunny Grayson had given her and how much it meant to her throughout the years. She wanted that teddy bear to mean the same thing to Elena, even if she was adopted and not really her family by blood.

   "Fine," Mrs. Gilbert finally said, a surrendered sigh escaping her. "Be safe, alright? I don't want a call from Liz saying that she had to arrest you because you were drinking."

   "Mom!" she groaned. "Liz wouldn't... I mean, we're not drinking."

   Mrs. Gilbert let out a scoff as she rolled her eyes. "I may be old, Florence, but I know what teenagers do when there are no parents. Do I need to remind you that I was a teenager once?"

   "You don't need to remind me," Florence nodded, reaching over for her swimming ware. "I know that you and dad were teenagers once; you only repeat it like twelve times every day."

   "I just want to make sure you're safe," Mrs. Gilbert sighed, shaking her head. "Are you all packed? Do you need anything? Who's going?"

   "Cher, Charles, and Stefan," Florence answered, turning around to face her mother. "Cher and I are sharing a room, the boys are sharing another. Nothing's going to happen because I am a responsible young adult." She gave her mother a smile, bright and cheery and hopeful that her mother wouldn't change her mind.