"Love me for my monsters and I'll love you for yours."
In which Holly Gilbert learns just how thin the line of love and hate is.
(THE VAMPIRE DIARIES)
(KLAUS x OC)
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Holly woke up in the water. Something hard was pressed against her back, keeping her afloat. She was no longer in her khaki jeans but in sweatpants, her sweater replaced with a hoodie. A million questions filled her head as she recognised the Gilbert lakehouse, her old paddleboard still tied to the dock as it bobbed her around the lake. Why was she here? How did she get here? Where was everyone? What happened to Jeremy?
"Holly Gilbert, what have I told you about falling asleep in the lake!" A familiar voice caused Holly to sit up, narrowly avoiding falling off the board.
"Mom?" Holly's eyes were wide as Miranda Gilbert stood on the dock frowning.
"You are gonna catch yourself hypothermia, young lady." Miranda began to pull on the rope, Holly sliding closer, "not to mention you ruin all the lovely clothes I buy you."
"I hardly think my Walmart sweats getting wet is going to financially ruin us, Mom," Holly couldn't take her eyes away from her mother. She was just as beautiful as Holly remembered, if not more.
"Were the stars pretty?" Miranda smiled, holding her hand out for Holly to take. Holly cautiously reached out, her breath hitching as she felt her mother's hand.
Instantly, Holly climbed off the board onto the dock, wrapping her arms around her mom. Miranda was slightly taken aback, chuckling as she hugged Holly back, "sweetheart, you're soaking wet!"
"I've been wanting to do this for so long," Holly closed her eyes, inhaling her mom's perfume as every question she had previously had had disappeared, "I missed you so much."
"Sweetie, I saw you seven hours ago," Miranda pulled away, putting a hand to her forehead, "are you feeling alright? Your temperatures normal."
"I've never been more alright," Holly whispered, her eyes beginning to fill with tears, "Mom, everything I said, I didn't mean. I love you more than anything..."
"Baby," Miranda brushed Holly's hair back, "we all get upset at times. We all say things we don't mean. And at the end of the day, we love each other anyway."
Holly nodded, inhaling as both her eyes and nose streamed. She was ugly crying.
"And next time, you get upset, you come find me. You don't go float on your paddleboard or run away to the swimming pool, ok? We talk about this stuff." Miranda gently wiped Holly's tears with the pad of her thumb. "This little head of yours is filled with some very dark stuff, and I gotta pull you back into reality sometimes, alright?"
"Alright," Holly whispered, hugging her mom again, "I love you."
"I love you too, poppet," Miranda kept an arm over Holly as she led them back down the dock, "now Jenna's just gone to the bakery to get some fresh pastries for breakfast, so lets get you warm, eh?"
