Author's Note:
Hi Everyone! So, this is my first ever fanfiction. Ever. Please excuse any errors I made-I'm kind of playing around with this and am super nervous.
If you do read this, please let me know what you think (preferably nicely, because I'm a tad sensitive, hahaha) but thank you so much for your time taken on this. If you think I should continue, please let me know!
Disclaimer: The characters, and some dialogue is taken from The Vampire Diaries. I do not own the show or it's characters, I simply just love their stories.

***EDITS MADE FROM ORIGINAL*** Nothing like putting something up for the public to see some big mistakes. Sorry about that! Anyway, enjoy. (:

Chapter One

-Elena POV-

"Okay, guys, five minute tidy! First team to have everything clean and put away in an organized fashion gets a prize! No, I haven't said go yet guys, sit still… Okay, ready… set… go!"

In a flash, my third grade students start hurriedly putting away their things. It's Friday, so the students are extremely excited to go home, especially since it's the start of winter break, and they aren't the only ones excited. The only difference is, once they get home, they get to go play outside, or play whatever new video game is out for them to play, but tonight my friends are taking me out to Mystic Grill to congratulate me on getting through my first semester of teaching.

It definitely is something to celebrate. Most of my life I had no idea what I wanted to do, but one day in high school I woke up and realized teaching would be perfect for me. I always liked school, and was a pretty good student, too, but what really drew me was the kids. I love kids, and I love helping others, and I'm passionate about education. However, this semester has been extremely long, and I've spent more time second guessing everything I do than actually making decisions. This break is very much needed, if for anything else to get out of my own head.

My students are dashing around the room, but one team is starting to squirm in their seats, and they are all sitting with their hands together waiting as patiently as they can for me to notice they're finished. Not surprisingly, they are a team with two of my best academically successful students, and two of my more academically unsuccessful students. Looking at them now, I don't regret putting them together. The children get the help they need, and they are also beginning to understand how to appreciate things and people that are different than they are.

One student in particular comes to mind when I think about the issues I've dealt with this semester. His name is Aidan. He's a bright student—in fact, one of the best in my class—but he's also a bit of a trouble maker. He knows how to talk himself out of trouble, too. I usually catch him chasing the girls around the classroom, kissing their cheeks, holding their hands. Most of the girls in the class have crushes on him, and from an eight year old girls' perspective, I could understand. He has messy black hair and pale blue eyes, and was, obviously, a smooth talker.

Secretly, though, he was my favorite student. I usually have to catch myself from laughing aloud when I hear a ridiculous comment come out of his mouth when he's talking to his fellow female students. One time, Aidan was flirting with a student named Savannah, and said, "I have a lollipop. Wanna see?"

Savannah looked in his hands and on his table, not finding it. "I don't see the lollipop, Aidan. Where is it?"

Aidan smiled devilishly at her. "It's a me—metaf…. It's a metaphorse!" At that comment, I was walking towards Aidan, already knowing where the conversation was about to go. I was almost to him when he leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "It's in my pants."

"Aidan!" I scolded. "That is inappropriate."

"What?" Aidan looked up at me innocently. "I do have a lollipop in my pants. See?" He dug in his pockets and held out an old lollipop wrapper.

Needless to say, I called his Dad about it, but that in itself was another issue. I could never get a hold of his father. I would leave voicemail after voicemail, and the only form of response I seemed to get back was through email (which he also never answered, unless I left multiple emails), which usually went like this:

"Thanks for letting me know. We will have a discussion."

It made me sad, because Aidan is such a great kid; he just needs a little attention. Aidan seemed to me like he wouldn't act up so much at school if he got enough parental contact. However, I knew Aidan wasn't being abused, but it plagued me that such a wonderful, funny, bright boy may not be getting the love he deserves at home.

I look up again around the room and my students are just finishing up getting things organized. I never let them know who won until everyone has finished; otherwise when I announce which team won, most of the students stop cleaning, get lazy and leave an unorganized mess for me to clean up later. That was one of the first lessons I learned back in August when the year began—most students only do the bare minimum of what they are asked.

"Miss Gilbeeeeert!" The class sang together, bringing me out from my trance. At this point they were all sitting patiently at their desks, everyone's things put away.

"Sorry class! Okay, the winner is… Team One! Yay! Now, who dismisses the class, me or the bell? Right! Stay put, guys. When the bell rings, you're free to go. Be safe and have a wonderful holiday!"

-Damon's POV-

Today is the two year anniversary of my wife leaving my son and me.

Coincidentally, it's also my son's last day of school before winter break, which I'm glad for, because he doesn't need to see his Dad whither to a bit of an emotional mess, thinking of a woman who apparently never gave a shit about him, or their child together.

I mean, really? Leaving your kid? What kind of a mother is that?

Well, Katherine, apparently. Has she kept in contact? Hell no. The bitch only contacted me by sending me divorce papers through the mail. She never pays child support, because that means being a responsible adult and thinking of someone other than herself.

It's all ridiculous, really. I was never a sappy romantic, not until Katherine. I left that for my brother. Stefan was always the first one to bring a single red rose on a first date, and keep physical contact respectful. Stefan was the perfect gentleman. At the end of the evening, he would land a light kiss on the lips if the date went well; a kiss on the cheek if the girl was visibly shy.

Not me. When I was younger, I was a mess. You couldn't tie me down if my life depended on it. Girls were playthings, objects to keep me distracted from the hellish life I lived at home. I took care of my little brother, made sure he was on the up and up and no one knew how bad we had it. Our family always looked like a poster for the Great American Family, but Father was always preoccupied with work and reputation—he never appreciated his family. Not after Mom died.

Once Stefan and I got older, though, Father took a liking to Stefan. Stefan was the image of Responsible. He was charming in every way possible, no thanks to me. I was the complete opposite, considered an embarrassment to our family; the black sheep.

…Until Katherine came along. She was so beautiful. She had long curly brown hair, and legs that seemed to go for miles. She flaunted everything she had, too. She made sure that whenever she walked into a room, all eyes were on her.

So, to make a long story short, I was charmed; head over heels in love with a woman who could never love anyone but herself. When she got pregnant, I proposed. I wanted to anyway, but could never find the right time. With Katherine being pregnant, I took that as a sign that this was really it—she was The One. We had an extravagant wedding—after we already had Aidan, of course. She didn't want to be pregnant in the wedding pictures.

However, after the wedding, I started to be bothered by things that, before Aidan, never bothered me. For example, Katherine was always preoccupied with having the latest and greatest things, and those things seemed to come before our child. She quickly became impatient with Aidan, and if he would fuss and cry, she'd hastily shove him off to me, so she could go off and do other things.

When Aidan turned five, Katherine would come home later and later from work, and go on multiple business trips. I never thought much about it—I had to take care of Aidan. But shortly after Aidan's sixth birthday, I came home from work late one night and Katherine was gone. Her things had been packed up, almost like she never lived with us.

Ever since, I've been raising Aidan on my own and it's never been bad, but today I just want to step away from being responsible and wallow without Aidan seeing his father attempt to look like he isn't a wreck.

That's why tonight, Aidan is going to spend the night at his friend's house, and my best friend, Ric, is taking me to the bar, and hopefully aid in helping me get shit faced, and forget the soap opera my life has seemed to turn out to be.

-Elena's POV-

"I don't know, Caroline, this is a little too… Showy, for me."

"Elena, I bet you look gorgeous! Come out; show us your gorgeousness!" Caroline practically screamed. Lord knows I love Caroline, but she's just so... Caroline.

"Okay, okay." I sigh, defeated. I pull my dress up a little and walk out of my bathroom.

My friends stare at me for a few beats, their mouths hanging slightly open. I start to get panicked. "Yeah, you guys are right, it looks terrible, I'm just going to go put some jeans on…"

"NO!" They yelled in unison. I stared at them, wide eyed.

"So, I look okay?"

"YES! Elena, you look drop dead gorgeous! The guys are going to be drooling over you." Bonnie exclaimed, excitedly.

At Bonnie's exclamation, I started to get excited, and confidence started bubbling up inside me. I did look pretty good. Yeah, this dress was a little… Sexier than I would go for, but I somehow pulled it off. I don't have to be a teacher outside the classroom, its okay to go out in public and be sexy and flirty and… Happy. Right?

My two best friends ushered me into the car and we made our way to Mystic Grill. While we were driving, I started to feel a sense of peace come over me; a feeling I hadn't felt in a while. It was almost like being able to tell the future.

I had a feeling that, somehow, something amazing would happen, and my future might just really begin tonight.