CHAPTER NINETEEN | I'D LEAVE MY HAPPY HOME FOR YOU 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

EVELYN AUSTIN WAS INCREDIBLY EXCITED FOR JO'S BACHELORETTE PARTY. It was the engaged couples time to celebrate the last night of freedom before they finally tied the knot. Caroline had skipped town since she turned her humanity back on to deal with the guilt of everything she had done while her humanity was off, so it was down to Evelyn, Bonnie, and Elena to make sure Jo had the perfect evening.

Evelyn stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom whilst she put the finishing touches to her make-up just before she set off to the diner in the heart of downtown Mystic Falls. She felt Damon's lingering presence behind her, her eyes drifted to him through this reflection in the mirror. "Shouldn't you be downstairs partying with Ric? I mean, I thought you'd at least be drunk by now. You're kind of a lightweight."

"Ooh." Damon playfully pushed his hand across his heart as he stepped forward. "Evelyn Austin, I am wounded. You've wounded me." He chuckled, then grabbed her by the hand and spun her around to face him. "You should be heading to your party. I hear it's gonna be fun with a pregnant woman. Lots of alcohol."

"Uh, shut up. I can still drink." Evelyn bellowed lowly with narrow eyes. "Honestly, I just can't wait until we get out of this place. Have you— have you told anyone?"

"What? That my fiancé and I are planning on skipping town?" Damon scoffed quietly as the pair swayed within each other's hold. "No, have you?"

"Nope." Evelyn sighed again. "To be honest, I don't want to. I don't want to say goodbye, and I don't want a fuss. I just wanna go without anyone even realizing we're gone."

"And we will." He pressed his lips against her forehead carefully. "I love you, Evelyn."

"I love you, too." She beamed up at him. "I should get going. Bonnie and Elena have already texted me a dozen times." She grabbed her phone from the dresser and smirked at him before she left. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

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"An entire diner to ourselves." Jo cheered whilst she held a cheeseburger in one hand and used the other to plunge food into her mouth. "Actual heaven."

"If Caroline were here we'd be planning a spa day." Elena trailed off whilst she took a large bite of her burger that was in her grasp.

"But now she's M.I.A." Bonnie shrugged as Jo nodded understandingly.

"I don't blame her to be honest. If I could've gone M.I.A after my no-humanity bender, I would've." Evelyn spoke. She remembered back to her time at the end of summer. "It's actually kinda shameful when you turn it on and remember all the awful things you did. I was someone I didn't even recognize."

"Hm, true that." Elena rolled her eyes awkwardly before deciding to change the subject. "So, we figured we'd just stuff our faces." The Gilbert finally explained to the bride-to-be who smiled back in appreciation.

"You're geniuses." Jo hungrily took yet another bite of her giant burger while all eyes were drawn to her.

"Except, aren't you a vegetarian?" The Bennett witch raised an eyebrow whilst she eyed up the pregnant woman beside her. "I'm just saying, that's not exactly a garden burger."

"The baby is not okay with the no-meat thing," Jo explained before as she lunged forward and grabbed her milkshake. "Besides, it's my party and I'll eat what I want to. I do wish this was vodka though."

"Right?!" Both Evelyn and Elena exclaimed in unison, then they smiled at one and another afterward.

"Hey, I don't wanna know what Ric's doing, do I?" The bride-to-be gave off a worried look, then she narrowed her eyes at the three girls who all looked at each other.

"Probably at the movies." Bonnie awkwardly suggested as her eyes glanced between the other girls.

"Yeah, or mini-golf." Elena carried on with a smirk.

"Basically, no. You don't wanna know." Evelyn answered for the woman who just frowned worriedly.

"I need ketchup," Jo announced as she got up from her seat and headed over to where she hoped she would find the ketchup

"So, Elena, a little birdie told me that you're not all into the idea of taking the cure?" The Austin vampire crinkled her nose while she began to suck the contents of her milkshake through the straw.

"Yeah, I heard the same." Bonnie gestured with her hands in the air while Elena just stared at her with a confused look. "Yeah, I know about the cure."

The Gilbert girl let her eyes fall to the brunette vampire who sat beside Bonnie. "Damon brought it back for you, Evelyn. The cure's yours, I can't take that away from you."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at Elena. "Elena."

"I've always longed to see for a child of my own, to be human again, and obviously when I turned I never thought it possible. But, I feel like it was fate. Me becoming a vampire to reunite with Damon again, after all this time. So, honestly, Elena. I'm happy as a vampire. Take the damn thing." She explained while she ran her fingers through her hair. "Besides, I can always adopt."

Jo walked back over to the table and noticed the three females had finished eating the fast-food laid out on the table. "You guys aren't full, are you?" She worriedly asked them with ketchup tubs in her hands.

"Oh, no. We're just talking about the fact that Damon offered Elena the cure and she won't take it because of Evelyn, who actually wants to be a vampire." Bonnie teased with a slight smirk on her lips.

"I said I would think about it." Elena paused for a moment. "Why are we talking about me? This is your party."

"Trust me, I would much rather talk about that than the fact that I have yet to find a non-hideous wedding gown. Or, that I can't ask my sister to be my maid of honor because she won't return my phone calls. Or the fact that I cannot stop eating. Literally. Like ever."

"I think you should take it," Bonnie spoke confidently. "Decision made."

"What if I miss the perks? Like compelling the owner of a diner to close early for us? Or what if I get sick?" Elena continued to list all the reasons why she didn't want the cure.

"You're overthinking it." The Austin vampire shrugged. "Think of your life before you even knew about the existence of vampires. Your life will be exactly how it was." Evelyn spoke just as she saw her phone begin to vibrate on the table in front of her. And with that, I'm gonna go take this outside." Once she stepped outside of the diner, she answered Damon's call. "Let me guess, you got a lap dance from a hot, sexy stripper and now you feel guilty."

"How'd you know?" A small gasp left Damon's lips, though it were obvious he was joking.

"You're an ass." Evelyn let out a small laugh. "You may have partied us under the table but at least I'm drunk, that's all that really matters."

"Is that why you're walking around town with a bottle of Bourbon in your hand. I thought Jo was having a non-alcoholic party?"

"Hm. That's for me to know." Evelyn looked up as soon as she reached the clock tower to see Damon was stood above her on the ledge. "What are you doing up there, anyway?" A flicker of a smile appeared on her face when she saw him.

"That's for me to know. I'm just reminiscing, clearing my head, you know?" A hum left the Salvatore's lips."I'm about to make this beautiful girl my wife very, very soon. And, I just wanna get one last good look at this town before we say goodbye to it."

Evelyn smiled at the ground before she waved the bottle of Bourbon that was within his grasp up toward him. "Want some?"

"Of you or the booze?" After a few moments, Damon jumped down onto the pavement next to her as the couple shared the bottle. They walked hand-in-hand down the empty streets of Mystic Falls, taking in every detail. "So, come on, then. Have you guys managed to convince Elena to take that damn cure, yet?"

"Nope." The girl quickly interrupted him. "Elena won't take the cure because of me. She thinks she's standing in the way of my happiness, or whatever. I've told her repeatedly that I am absolutely content with being a vampire. I don't wanna be human, not if it means losing you in the process."

"You feel bad, huh? Evelyn Austin." The Salvatore vampire looked toward the brunette who simply stared ahead of her as her heels clicked against the pavement. "Never thought I'd see the day when you felt bad for Elena Gilbert. You're a far cry from the girl that wanted to rip her heart out back in the day. I'd say that's progress."

"Shut up, Damon." Evelyn rolled her eyes. "I just— I know how much she wants to be human, and how much she desires that life. She wasn't made to be a vampire. Hell, I noticed that the moment that I came to town. But, she would refuse the one thing that can change her life for the better, because of me? Someone who has been nothing but bitch to her since I came to town."

"Evelyn." Damon finally stopped walking and grabbed her hand just as their eyes locked. "Evelyn, relax. You're not to blame for how rocky things were with Elena when you guys first met. And, you certainly aren't to blame for her not wanting the cure. You can't control what the hell kinda decisions Elena makes.

"Are you still sure about leaving? I'm giving you an escape clause right now. A get-out-of-jail-free card, if you will." Evelyn chuckled awkwardly.

"I want this. I want you." He nodded confidently. "And, as for leaving, I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"I love you, Damon Salvatore." She whispered quietly as she placed her hand against his cheek. In that moment, she knew that she had found everything she could ever need inside Damon.

With their foreheads pressed together. Damon smiled softly. "'Till death do us part." Their moment was harshly interrupted by the phone ringing from Damon's pocket to reveal Stefan's caller ID.

"Damon, where the hell are you and Evelyn?" Stefan's abrupt voice immediately boomed down the phone which caused the two vampire's eyes to widen.

"What's going on, Stefan?" Damon responded hearing the desperate tone of his voice.

"Lily got away from me. You were right, we've got to lock her up."

"We need to find her, and we need to find her fast. If Elena takes that cure, she'll go for her just to spite the rest of us." Evelyn spoke with determination. But, before Damon could answer her back, Lily sped over and snapped his neck.

"I'm sorry, but I won't be imprisoned again," Lily told the brunette vampire as she watched her fiancé's body fall at her feet. "I didn't have to turn into this person. I kept her at bay for so long. But my sons, they ruined everything."

"No, Lily you're wrong. You're wrong, they just wanted to help you. we all did." Evelyn anxiously tried to reason with the Salvatore vampire. "SWe just wanna help."

"Look at me!" Lily suddenly snapped in anger as the veins underneath her eyes started to grow. "They're not helping! None of you are!"

"Well, I tried to be nice," Evelyn tilted her head before she used her strength to rush at Lily, which caused the Salvatore woman to be thrown a significant distance so that Evelyn could make her escape.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───