Daydream • K.M.

Interlude. Homeward

For the last five minutes, Eden had been sitting in her car. She was hesitant to leave because she knew that if she left the car then the reality of the reason she was here would set in. Yet, she was also getting annoyed with the peeping eyes that kept staring at her from the Salvatore Boarding House and she knew the longer she stayed the more eyes would crowd there.

Last night Eden had gotten a tearful call from her old best friend that there was an emergency in Mystic Falls and she needed to get down there as soon as he could. Curious, Eden asked Jeremy what exactly was transpiring down in her old town. It was only then that he divulged the information that Elena had been put under a curse linked to Bonnie's life. The very new, very human Elena would not awaken again until Bonnie's life ended. That put a solid fifty to seventy years between now and the next time Eden would see her childhood friend.

Klaus had let Eden leave, and the brunette in return promised her husband that she would in fact be back before her daughter noticed that she was missing. A little hesitant to even leave New Orleans, Eden knew that this would most likely be her last chance to tell Elena goodbye before she was sealed away for half a decade. So Eden kissed her baby girl goodbye and then hit the road to make it here before noon.

"It's about time you got out of the car." Damon muttered to Eden as she walked up the front porch steps. The vampire had a glass of bourbon in his hand and though he spoke to her his eyes were far away.

"Can you blame me for not wanting to?" She asked him, stopping on the step so that they were standing only a short distance from one another. Damon glanced over at Eden, his eyes taking in the woman's appearance.

"You've lost weight." He observed. Eden scoffed, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets.

"If you're asking me if I had the baby then yes, I did." She said coolly. Damon shrugged his shoulders, taking another drink from his glass before he spoke.

"Caroline told me. A daughter right?" He sound bored, and Eden wasn't surprised. She never took the vampire as kid friendly. Nodding her head, Eden looked out into the large yard as well.

"Where is she?" She asked quietly.

"Inside surrounded by an everlasting stream of tears. The whole thing was getting too morbid for my taste." Eden let out a hollow chuckle.

"Trust me, I know what you mean." She muttered. After a few more beats of silence, Eden turned on her heels and made her way inside. There, Eden found everyone from her old life standing in the parlor of the home. Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler, Matt, Alaric, Stefan, and Jeremy all stared back at Eden as she stood in the threshold of the room.

"Eden." Caroline was the first to speak; a sad smile on her beautiful face. She had tears falling from her face as she took a few steps toward Eden. Embracing the hybrid in her arms, Caroline sniffled in her ear as she spoke.

"I'm sorry I haven't had time to check on you and the baby. It's just that everything has been so crazy here-" Eden pulled away from Caroline, wiping her tears from her face.

"Please, don't worry about it. Everything is okay in NOLA. I came as soon as I heard. Where is she?" Eden asked, glancing around the room for a sign of her. Caroline looked around at the rest of the room before she pointed in the direction of a room off to the right.

"She's in there. We knew you were coming so we've been trying to hold off on moving her. Once you say goodbye Damon is going to put her in their family tomb." She explained quietly. Eden took a breath, looking around at the people who stood in front of her.

"So you had the baby?" Bonnie asked quietly, her face still fresh with tears. Eden nodded her head, walking toward Bonnie as she fished around her pockets for what she was looking for.

"Yeah." Eden replied quietly, holding out a photograph for the witch to see. "Her name is Haven." Bonnie smiled as she looked at the photo, her eyes taking in the sight of the small child wrapped in Eden's arms.

"She's beautiful Eden. She looks just like you." Bonnie complimented as the photo was passed around to everyone who had yet to lay eyes on Haven Mikaelson.

Eden shrugged. "She's got her father's eyes."

While the rest of the group crowded over the picture of Eden's daughter, Eden used the distraction to slip from the room and make her way into the room that held Elena's body. She found the younger brunette in a large oak coffin. She was dressed in a blue dress and despite the circumstances of the situation, Elena looked peaceful. Eden was almost hesitant to disturb her in this state and though she found herself taking one foot in front of the other, Eden started to feel the sadness that the rest of the house was showcasing. Taking a deep breath, Eden picked up Elena's dainty hand in hers and closed her eyes as she pushed her way into her mind.

* * *

"You know, I feel like we have way better memories than this." Eden heard a voice say from behind her. Turning on her heels, Eden whipped around to find Elena standing behind her as they stood in front of the Gilbert house. Eden smiled, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke.

"Yeah, but I haven't been back here in a few years and I thought it would be nice to see the place that I used catch you and Matt necking." Eden teased as Elena laughed.

"Feels like a lifetime ago." Elena recalled.

"That's because it was." Eden confirmed as the two made their way up the steps and onto the porch. They were quiet for moment before Elena spoke.

"I know that you have a life in New Orleans now and that you have this family...but promise me that you'll keep in touch with them. That you'll make sure that Jeremy is okay." She instructed.

Eden snorted. "Right like that's ever been easy." Elena smiled ruefully.

"Jeremy told me that he saw her. Your daughter. He said you named her Haven." She remembered. Eden shoved her hands in her pockets, conjuring up the same picture she had brought with her to show everyone. Pulling the image out of her pocket, she handed it to Elena for her see.

"You know, after I found out that Haven was a girl I spent months trying to find a name that I thought would suit her. And every time I thought I found a suitable name, something told me that it wasn't right for her. I would spend hours just writing down names and hoping that I'd find the perfect one for my little girl. And you know how I settled on Haven?" She asked the younger brunette. Elena shook her head.

"It was when I came back to Mystic Falls. I was still pregnant and I had just told you guys about it and when I told you that I was going back to New Orleans because it was my home, you told me that Mystic Falls would always be my home." Eden began.

"Even if you needed to use it as some kind of safe haven for you and the baby." Elena finished, a sad smile on her face.

"By the time you meet her she'll be older than we are now." Eden said, dreading the thought of having to watch her daughter grow up. Elena sighed, giving the picture back to Eden.

"What's it like? Being a mother?" Elena asked as they swung in the chair. Eden thought on this for a moment. There was a part of her that wanted to divulge this information. To let Elena know every fear that comes with being the mother to the world's most special child. But sometimes Eden herself wondered how she herself handled it. What was it like? How good of a job was she actually doing in raising her daughter and what would she do to make sure that her daughter never separated from her again?

I held off on the Interlude for a reason I promise! But I couldn't pass up on writing this chapter and it honestly doesn't fit into the main plot so I made it the Interlude. But(!) I'm going to put up the Disclaimer and Cast list to my new books so you beauties can save it. I'm actually going to upload the first chapter later today after I leave work. Season three was actually my favorite of the series so I wonder how we'll get through that. As always I hope I see you guys there.

-A