"I refuse to give up this opportunity of a lifetime."

"Do you understand that you're not just leaving Mystic Falls Elena, you're leaving me too!"

"I'm sorry, Damon. I'm so sorry."

That was ten years ago. Watching her leave was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but she was always meant for more than this small town. Me? I'm an okay mechanic with a GED.

I didn't graduate, but damn did I try..for her. She wanted the best for both of us. She'd spend her nights trying to tutor me when I wasn't trying to have my way with her. Even though she had dreams bigger than Mystic Falls, we were comfortable with the idea that I'd follow her wherever she went no matter what we made of ourselves. And that was okay with me as long as I had her.

She was the only one who ended up graduating. I got caught up in the wrong crowd of Klaus and Kol Mikaelson. Spent most of my days that were meant for class smoking joints, sniffing cocaine and drinking myself to sleep, only waking up when Elena came over. I watched her walk the line and shake the principal's hand to receive her diploma and God, was I ever proud.

Before she left, she insisted that I finish my education. So I did. She'd gone with me to sign up for classes for my GED and day in, day out, she'd sit with me and made sure I understood the work. She sacrificed her summer staying with me and she was the one who drove me to pick up my certificate when the six weeks were up.

We were living in bliss, but I should have known it wouldn't last.

A month after getting my GED, I started working at the local automotive repair shop with my buddy Enzo. I became fascinated with cars my sophomore year when my dad gave me my first 1969 camaro. Besides Elena, the car was my baby.

I remember it clear as day:

Elena had walked in like she always did, coming to drop off lunch that she probably prepared. My girl was a good cook and it was times like her stopping by to see me in the middle of the day with her food that made me look forward to having her as my wife. Being with her since eighth grade had it perks and one of the many was the fact that I could read her like an open book. She looked so happy which in turn made me happy, so I rushed over to her. She practically jumped on me with a shriek of excitement.

"I got in! Baby, I got in!"

As I put her back down on the floor, my smile quickly went down.

"Got in to what?"

Noticing the subtle change in facial expressions, her excitement died as well. "Stanford University."

My eyes widened. "I didn't even know you applied."

She looked towards the ground with the acceptance letter in hand, that I had only then noticed, while playing with her fingers absentmindedly.

"I didn't want to tell you in case I didn't get in. I didn't want you to be disappointed."

I shook my head. "Lena, why would I be disappointed? You were valedictorian, you graduated with straight A's, you're the smartest person I've ever met."

She smiled slightly. "I just...I didn't know how to tell you."

"Why not?"

"I wasn't sure if you would be okay with moving to California."

And truth be told, I wasn't.

Mystic Falls...I was born here. It's my home, and Elena's. That's why I couldn't understand why she was so eager to leave.

It took me a whole year to realize she was never coming back. So, I spent my days fucking nameless women and making myself more susceptible to alcohol poisoning. It was easier than acknowledging that the love of my life had walked away from me, from us, without a backwards glance.

I was still close to Enzo, we still worked at the garage. His father was the owner and after he passed, it was Enzo who took over. He insisted that I split it with him making us both owners of St Salvatores.

Stefan and I always had a rocky relationship but after Elena left, it got better. He became my rock in a way and in turn our bond strengthened. Slowly but surely.

My brother is the complete opposite of me. Walked the line with straight A's and would've been valedictorian had he not bombed his final History exam. He and Elena had been competing since freshman year for that spot but in the end, it was my girl who got it. And boy, if she didn't love rubbing it in his face. All out of love, though.

He even got engaged to his highschool sweetheart. Went on to work at Mystic Falls General to become a neurosurgeon while Caroline was a pediatric nurse. They're even expecting their first child in a few months.

We all grew up together: Stefan, Caroline, Elena, and I. Something about brothers dating best friends who were practically sisters must've turned them on.

I walked into MFG looking for the specific room number when I was stopped short by a petite woman.

"Are you looking for Miss Forbes?"

I looked down and noticed it was Anna, one of my previous booty calls. I forgot she worked here.

Before I had the chance to respond, Stefan came out to the hallway with a gurney that had my sister-in-law in tow. She was being wheeled out by a group of doctors and up to the operating room for emergency delivery. Ignoring Anna's calls, I rushed to my brother who had tears running down his face.

"Stef, what happened?"

He turned to me and buried his face in my next. I felt the wetness soaking the collar of my shirt.

"Because she had already developed preeclampsia, it made her susceptible to placental abruption. I found her unresponsive on the bathroom floor, bleeding when I came home."

Caroline was told she would never be able to have kids because of the hereditary endometriosis she inherited from her mom. Her and Stefan were told beforehand that there was a slim chance of them ever having their own children, so going into the medical field was easy for them to take their mind off of her infertility. It was time consuming and even if she couldn't have her own, Caroline loved that her job made able to nurse kids back to health.

When we first found out she was expecting, to say we were shocked was an understatement. But we knew just as well as Caroline that it would be a very high risk pregnancy and her OB told her no different.

"He's gonna be born at thirty weeks. My son is going to be born ten weeks early. Do you know the statistics of preemies, Damon? Not only that but how fatal placental abruption is? What if there's a blood clot? What is she bleeds out? What if I lose them both? What am I going to do?"

He cried hard and all I could do was hug him even harder. "It's gonna be okay, brother. He's a Salvatore. And Care, she's feisty. She's one of the most strong willed women I have ever met. Put two and two together and know that your son is going to put up one hell of a fight."

The last time I prayed was after Elena left. I prayed that she'd come back and we'd have a fresh start. Ironic, huh? Praying to a God that I don't believe in. But as I walked with my brother down the hall and towards the chapel, I had to believe that someone was listening.

It had been a long and stressful process but two hours later, Braeden Giuseppe Salvatore was born at 3lbs 12oz.

He was taken into emergency surgery while Caroline was still unconscious. Her OB told us she lost a lot of blood during delivery so it would be a while until she woke up. But for now, at least one of them were out of the woods.

I stayed with Stefan as we slept on the uncomfortable chairs. Caroline woke up eight hours later feeling just as groggy as she looked.

"Where's my son?"

Stefan chuckled. "His doctor should be in soon to give us an update. Dr. Warner is out of the country right now so they had a transfer from California perform the surgery. Word around the hospital is she's really good."

It was typical Caroline to roll her eyes. "She better be. She's not just operating on anyone, that's our damn baby."

Again, Stefan laughed and he kissed her forehead. "I know, babe."

A knock at the door got our attention.

And in walked the one person none of us expected to see.

A/N: I'm sure you all know who it is by now, lol. This is my first fanfic for Damon and Elena so I hope you folks enjoy. Please leave a review once you're done whether it's questions, concerns, constructive criticism, all of the above are welcomed! I can't wait for you guys to read the second chapter. See you soon!

This story is inspired by "Red Light" by David Nail.