I had many requests for a sequel to 'The Dating Game'. This is it. I hope you'll like it.

The Game of Life: chapter one: 'What Becomes of the Broken Hearted' by Jimmy Ruffin

"Damn it, Damon, where are you?" Elena mumbles out loud while pacing the length of their living room. She is frustrated beyond belief. Not only did her husband already postpone their departure date once due to work, now he's not here when he's supposed to be here to pick her up. Fed up and between a rock and a hard place, Elena sits down on the couch. Dropping her face into her hands, she tries to remember exactly when and why everything went wrong. Even though Elena knows without doubt that she loves Damon, she doesn't know if it's enough, not anymore. Between her burgeoning career and Damon's business endeavors, the two of them barely find any free time to spend together. After one particularly nasty argument, Damon stormed out and didn't come home that night, instead choosing to spend that night and every night since at the bar.

With her level of anger rising by the millisecond, Elena seethes in silence for several more moments before getting up to call him. Picking up her cellphone, she clicks on the Great White Shark icon that she uses for Damon. Stressed when it goes to voice mail for the umpteenth time today, Elena tosses the phone back into her purse. Vowing to drive to North Carolina by herself is he doesn't arrive soon, Elena walks into the kitchen, takes a seat again, dropping her face against the tabletop just as tears begin to fill her eyes.

After a final look through the books, Damon puts the ledger in the top drawer of his desk. His office has been his home for the last three months since he and Elena separated. Damon quickly folds up the sofa sleeper so he doesn't have a messy bed to come home to when he and Elena return from North Carolina. Even though it's the last thing he wants to do, Damon promised her that he'd make the trip with her so her parents wouldn't harass her about the state of their marriage. Since the Vegas strip is decked out in all manner of Christmas decorations, Damon's bar is holiday clad as well. Brady, his girlfriend Anastasia and Kol all helped to get the bar ready for the holidays. The fountains at the Bellagio are dancing to the strains of Christmas songs. The Volcano at the Mirage still burns hot, erupting hourly which the tourists enjoy because it does get chilly in Las Vegas this time of year. After locking the desk drawer, Damon grabs his jacket then steps out of his office, pulling the door closed behind him. Looking around at the crowd, Damon finally spots Kol. When he reaches him, Kol hands him a bottle of water.

"Thanks," Damon says, taking a swallow. After wiping his mouth with the back of his forearm, Damon screws the lid back on the bottle and then turns to his friend. "Kol, you know to call me if anything comes up right?"

"Damon, you're going away with Elena. Given the state of your marriage, I think you need to focus on her rather than this place."

"Damn it, Kol. Do you think I like living here instead of with my wife?"

"She's my best friend but I care about you too, Damon. I hate seeing you both so miserable and yet when you're together, you're even more miserable. Somehow you guys need to fix this. But as much as I care for you, Damon, if the marriage does go the way of the dodo, I will always choose Elena. I hope you can understand."

"Kol, I would never fault you for that. You two have been friends for a very long time. Just know that no matter what happens between Elena and me, your job is safe," Damon adds, dropping his eyes to where his hands are gripping the edge of the bar top, his knuckles and fingertips whitened by the force of the grip. When Damon happens to glance at his watch, he realizes he's way late picking her up. Elena is probably going through the roof about now, he muses, digging into his jeans pocket for his car keys.

"I need to get going. Please call me if any comes up."

"Brady and I will handle it Damon. You used to trust us all the time before the marriage problems started."

"You're right. I really need to get going. If she calls tell her that I'm on my way," Damon states, turning on his heels and hurrying out of the bar.

And of course with Damon late already, traffic has to be chaotic too. Since it's not moving, Damon grabs his phone to text his wife that he's on his way and that he'll be there to pick her up as soon as traffic will allow. After forty five minutes, Damon can start his car again. By the time he finally pulls into the driveway, it's nearly one in the afternoon. Shaking his head, Damon parks the car, grimacing at the onslaught he's about to face. Taking a deep breath, Damon steps into the house only to find his wife facing him, hands on her hips and steam coming out of her ears. Before she can start spewing the vitriol, Damon raises his palm to halt her.

"Elena, I'm so sorry. I was picking up my office a little bit and then Kol and I started talking. I lost track of time."

"Save it, Damon. It's the same excuse you give me every time that you disappoint me."

"Jesus, Elena, you always, always do this. You make me feel like I could crawl under a snake's belly standing up," Damon blurts out, his eyes boring into hers. When Elena finally breaks their stare, Damon drops his chin to his chest, still wondering how something so wonderful could go so wrong in such a short time. "Are you sure that you want me to go with you?"

"Yes, surely we can pretend to be a happily married couple for a couple of days. I don't want to hear my father lecture me about what a failure my marriage has become."

"Failure ha?" Damon says under his breath. Having had enough, Damon picks up her suitcase and walks outside. Elena shakes her head, grabs them a couple of drinks out of the refrigerator, locks up the house and then finally joins him outside. Damon is already sitting behind the wheel, his attention everywhere but on her when she crawls into the passenger seat. As soon as he hears her seatbelt buckle, Damon puts the car in reverse and backs out of the driveway. Once Damon merges onto the east bound interstate, Damon puts on the cruise control. The tense silence between them is maddening both for Damon and for Elena.

Unable to tolerate it anymore, Elena reaches up and turns on the radio and take her I pad out of her bag to read something, anything to occupy her mind. Choosing to look at her email, Elena starts firing off responses to book inquiries. After Damon and Elena married, she decided to follow her dreams and write a historical novel. With Damon's bar doing so well, he gave his enthusiastic go ahead when Elena suggested taking time off from her freelance work so she could dedicate herself completely to the book. Although there had been other books written about the 1916 shark attacks along the New Jersey shore, Elena found a new angle, even searching out the victims relatives. Quite a lot of research, hard work and travel went into writing her book. Looking back on the last year while she and Damon grew farther and farther apart, Elena knows that they bear responsibility in the breakdown of their relationship.

When her publishing company suggested an extended book tour, Elena readily agreed. The first mistake was not discussing it with Damon. Not without blame himself, Damon decided to open a second location for 'The Bourbon Room', this one about seventy five miles away in Laughlin, Nevada. Between her six month book tour and Damon going back and forth to and from Laughlin, they barely made time for each other. In hindsight, Elena wishes she would have listened to Kol when he warned her that he could see problems on the horizon given their lack of together time. Elena isn't paying any attention to the drive till she notices that the car has exited off of the interstate.

"We need some gas," Damon mentions without bothering to look at her. As soon as Damon pulls up next to a gas pump, Damon jumps out to fill the tank. Feeling tears well up at his indifference and not wanting Damon to notice, Elena gets out of the car. With her back turned to him, Elena says that she's going to use the bathroom then hurries away. Damon hates the animosity that has been building between them for months as well. If he had it to do over again, he wouldn't have opened the Laughlin location. Damon knows full well that he's not blameless in the explosive state of their marriage but he does know that if they have any chance to fix things, they will both have to work at it. He can't do it by himself. Sighing heavily, Damon hangs the gas pump back up, locks the car and then runs inside to use the bathroom himself. Once he finishes, Damon walks inside to buy a couple of energy drinks as he suspects they'll be on the highway till late this evening. After thanking the attendant, Damon hurries back to the car only to find an even more agitated Elena waiting for him.

"You couldn't have waited till I came back?"

"I had to go too. It's not like you've been standing here for hours. Chill," Damon adds, rolling his eyes which only serves to infuriate Elena all the more.

"You're such an ass sometimes," Elena snaps, sliding into the passenger seat again. Rather than say something that they'll both regret, Elena puts on her ear buds and starts to watch a movie on her I pad. As daylight turns into night, Damon begins to feel incredibly tired. Since Elena is already asleep and they're not talking anyway, Damon has no stimulus to help keep him awake. Rather than risk her safety, Damon opts to find a place to stop for the night. Damon exits off of the interstate when he sees a sign for food and lodging. Damon drives for about ten miles till he finally reaches the small town. Stopping at the first motel he sees, Damon runs inside to get a room. By the time he gets back to the car, Elena is just beginning to arouse.

"Why did you stop?"

"It's late, Elena. I'm tired and I'd rather not fall asleep at the wheel. Luckily they had one room left."

"I hope you got one with two beds."

"Elena, I took the last room they had. I'm exhausted, you're exhausted. All we're going to do is sleep," Damon adds, before pulling into the parking space assigned to their room. Although he's drained, Damon unlocks the door for Elena then goes back to the car to grab their suitcases so they can change clothes in the morning. Since there is only one bed, Damon tells her that he'll sleep on the floor if she would prefer that.

"No, Damon. You can't sleep on the floor. We have at least two more days of driving. You need your rest. Just stay on your side of the bed," Elena warns before going into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Too tired to do any of that, Damon collapses onto the bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

"I love you so much, Elena," Damon whispers, taking his place in the cradle of her legs. With his length teasing her opening, Elena cups his cheeks and pulls his mouth to hers. While their lips slide seamlessly together, Damon pushes inside, his eyes roll at the exquisiteness of being here with her right now. When Damon really thinks about it, he is still awed every day by the fact that Elena chose him. Needing air, Damon pulls his lips away while dropping his forehead to rest against hers. Pushing in and out, rolling his hips and probing her insides is nothing short of paradise. This magic between them will never get old.

"More Damon," Elena begs, raising her hips to meet his forward surges. Because she wants even more, Damon slams into her even harder, dropping his face into the crook of her neck so he can breathe in the scent that is uniquely Elena. Although it's hard, Damon pulls out to get onto his knees. After raising her legs to his shoulders, Damon sinks back inside, pushing deeper with each forward thrust of his now pistoning hips. Flesh slapping against flesh and the delicious noises leaving Elena's lips fill the room with the sounds of love making. When Damon feels her body begin to shudder, he grunts and growls, feeling his own belly begin to coil and heat up.

Reaching Nirvana together, they both scream the others name, his body quivering and quaking with the force of the Krakatoa eruption. Unable to hold himself up, Damon falls onto her, pressing her body into the mattress. Even though Elena is boneless, she still shivers at the friction caused by the way his body is pressing her nipples into the braided fabric of the sheets. When Damon slips out, Elena shifts so she's laying on her side. Wanting the moment to linger, she wraps her arms around him, pressing his head against her still heaving bosom. Fingering his hair and pressing kisses to his forehead, Elena loves these moments where she can hold him like this. Even though they are both are covered with a light sheen of perspiration, Damon revels in these moments because he knows that Elena is it for him. No one else will ever take her place in his heart.

When Elena walks out of the bathroom, she sees that Damon is already sound asleep. Not wanting to wake him, she sets the alarm on her cellphone, turns out the lamp on the corner table and then crawls into bed. Although tired herself, Elena has a hard time getting her brain to shut off long enough for her to go to sleep herself. After an hour or so of tossing and turning, Elena sits up at the bedside. Reaching into her purse, she pulls out a bottle of Ibuprofen, pops a couple in her mouth and swallows them down. As long as she's awake, she figures she may as well use the bathroom too. Yawning when she comes back, Elena crawls into bed. Turning onto her left side, Elena faces Damon's back. Ever so gently she touches his back. God, she used to love it when she could press her hands against his perfectly sculpted chest and back when he was deep inside of her. It's been such a long time since they've slept together either intimately or otherwise. When a sense of loneliness pervades her senses, Elena shifts, turning her back to his and closes her eyes, this time sleep comes quickly.

"I need to ask you something."

"Okay," Elena replies, raising up on one of her elbows, returning his gaze. Damon's chest is heaving and Elena doesn't know if whatever is on his mind is good or bad. Turning away from her for a moment, Damon reaches over, opening the little drawer in his bedside stand. Elena can't help but notice the way he's biting on his lower lip. Shifting in bed so he can face her, Damon captures her lips in a smoldering kiss. After pulling away, he displays the little blue box in his open palm.

"Damon?" Elena mumbles, unable to take her eyes from the box. Damon plants another kiss to her lips then opens it up to reveal an emerald cut diamond ring. The moon light streaming through the window reflects off of the stone, giving it an almost ethereal appearance. Stunned into silence all Elena can do is stare. Smiling at her, Damon leans forward till his lips are barely an inch from hers then whispers, "Elena, will you marry me?"

With her heart hammering against her ribcage a still speechless Elena bobs her head up and down excitedly. Damon snatches her lips in another quick kiss before pulling the ring out of the box and slipping it on that finger. "I love you, Elena."

"Yes, yes," she finally blurts out, throwing her arms around his neck, squeezing Damon so tight that he can barely breathe. 'What a way to die', he thinks to himself, a beaming smile lighting up his whole face.

When Elena's cellphone alarm goes off, they both fly upright in bed. Shaking off the stupor, Damon swings his legs over the side to sit up. Dropping his face into his hands, he rubs the sleep out of his eyes till he has his bearing then gets up, grabs a clean pair of jeans and tee shirt out of his suitcase before disappearing into the bathroom. After disrobing, Damon steps into the hot shower. Picking up the bar of soap, he lathers it up and washes himself. Frustrated about being so close physically yet miles apart emotionally, Damon presses his hands against the shower wall and drops his head, letting the hot water pummel his tense muscles into submission. Knowing he'll hear it in spades if he uses up all of the hot water, Damon turns off the tap and steps out. Taking a moment to wrap a towel around his waist, Damon grabs his clean clothes and leaves the bathroom so his wife can get cleaned up.

Seeing him standing in only a towel, Elena unconsciously licks her lips. Feeling her panties dampen, Elena turns away to get some clean clothes of her own. Not wanting to give into her desire, Elena walks right past Damon and into the shower. That man is sinfully good looking and Elena is all too aware of the heights that he can take her body to. Dropping her nightgown, it pools around her ankles. Stepping out of it, Elena bends over to pick it up. After folding it, she gets into the shower, turning the water on as hot as it will go. Taking the bar of soap, Elena scrubs her heated skin. Unable to slake her lust, Elena uses her fingers to bring herself to orgasm, a raspy mention of his name leaves her lips at the very moment that pleasure washes through her. Cleaning away the remnants of her release. After drying off, Elena quickly dresses then leaves the bathroom, puts her dirty clothing in her suitcase and zips it up. Only now looking at Damon, he gives her a tight smile.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, we have another long day ahead of us. Do you want me to drive for awhile?"

"Maybe later. Let's go." Standing up, Damon picks up their suitcases and walks outside. He puts them back in the trunk and then turns around to see Elena just now walking out of their room. "I'm going to take the key back to the office. Do you want to go with, maybe they have some coffee or a continental breakfast?"

"Sure," Elena agrees, walking beside him. Once they reach it, Damon pulls the door open, stepping aside so she can walk in first. Seeing that they do indeed have a small breakfast set out, Damon gestures with his extended arm for Elena to lead. Taking a sweet roll and a piece of fruit and a cup of black coffee, Elena takes a seat at an empty table. Damon does the same, sitting down in the chair opposite of her.

"I was looking at the map before I picked you up yesterday. I was thinking about going this route. It goes through the Blue Ridge mountains but it looks like it'll shave a couple hundred miles off of the distance. But tell me again why we didn't fly?"

"You know I don't like flying."

"You flew a hell of a lot on your book tour."

"Only those locations that I couldn't drive to. You know that I hate to fly, Damon. Why are you even mentioning it now?"

"Making conversation, Elena. So what do you say about this route?" he asks, pulling the map out of his jacket pocket, he points out the route to Elena.

"Sure, if it gets us there faster, the faster we can turn around and go back to Vegas," Elena agrees. Finishing her cup of coffee, she gets up to get a refill. "Do you want another cup?" Nodding, Damon quickly swallows what's left in his own cup before handing it to Elena. The two of them finish their breakfast in silence. After throwing away their garbage, Damon opens the door for her then steps outside himself.

"It's a little chilly today," Damon mentions, pulling his jacket closed.

"It is December, Damon. It's supposed to be cold!"

"The devil you say," Damon scoffs, shaking his head. Once they're in the car, Damon pulls onto the highway, merging onto the interstate as soon as they reach the correct exit. Rolling down the window for some fresh air, Damon sucks it in. While Elena is engrossed in her I pad, Damon turns on the radio and starts rocking out to the eighties channel on the radio, singing along with the oldies. With her earbuds in, Elena doesn't pay any attention to Damon. Scrolling through her messages, she sees one from Kol. Feeling an overwhelming need to talk to him, Elena tells Damon to exit at the next rest area so she can use the bathroom. Fortunately about a half an hour later, Damon pulls into the rest area, parks the car and then jumps out himself.

Stepping out but staying near the car since Damon didn't lock it, she pushes the puppy icon that is Kol. When she hears his voice, Elena blurts out, "Hi, Kol."

"Elena, hi. Is everything okay?"

"Other than the car atmosphere being as thick as mud between us, yeah, I'm okay."

"Elena?!"

"I know, Kol. I hate the way things are too but I don't know how to go about fixing it. It can't just be me, Damon has to want it too."

"Yes, he does but you and Damon are two of the most stubborn people ever to walk the planet. You have to talk to each other."

"You're right, I'm just not ready for the conversation yet. Did I tell you that I talked to an attorney, you know about making our separation legal?"

"Elena, you know that I'll always choose you but he's my friend too. Please think about it long and hard before you do something that you'll regret." Since Elena had her back turned, she didn't notice that Damon was standing on the driver's side of car, having heard her mention seeing an attorney. Seething, Damon glares at her before slipping back into the car. Knowing that she should've been more careful, Elena walks away to use the bathroom, saying goodbye to Kol just before stepping into the ladies room. Finishing quickly, Elena washes her hands then hurries back to the car. As soon as she buckles her seatbelt, Damon puts the car in gear and merges back onto the highway.

"Were you going to tell me or were you just going to surprise me with divorce papers? God, Elena, why am I even here?"

"I just talked to him about what legal separation and divorce would entail. I didn't ask him to draw up any papers or anything like that. I just asked for information."

"I don't care. The fact that you even bothered with an attorney tells me that you've already made up your mind about us."

"Damon, let's table this for now, okay? Pretending for the next few days will be hard enough without having this on top of it."

"Fine," Damon snaps, glaring at her for a long few seconds before turning his eyes back to the road. In his mind, Damon has no idea how their marriage and lines of communication just fell apart. Damon doesn't want a divorce, he loves Elena with everything in him but he can't fight for them alone, he needs her to fight for their marriage too. Not knowing which way is up, Damon can only drive, his mind a whir of angry and unsettled emotions.

Angry at herself for being so careless, having let Damon overhear her conversation with Kol, Elena can only stare out of the window. Damon hasn't uttered another word to her since they left the rest area. The atmosphere in Damon's car is so thick, you could cut it with a rusty blade. Raking her hand through her chestnut tresses, Elena rolls down the window to breathe in a little fresh air. When Elena hears her phone ring, she quickly grabs onto it, grateful for the distraction till she sees who it is.

"Mom?"

"Elena, where are you and Damon? We expected you yesterday," her mother yaps, expressing her disapproval of her wayward daughter as she always does.

"Damon and I are very busy people. We couldn't get away till yesterday but we're on the road now. We should be there sometime tomorrow."

"Why don't you two plan accordingly? For heaven's sakes, Elena, how hard is it to make a plan and stick to it?" With her lips tightening in anger, Elena sets the phone on her lap allowing her to fist her hands for a moment. Momentarily shaking off her intense agitation, she picks up the cellphone again.

"Listen, mom. Damon runs a bar, things come up. I had a couple of articles that I needed to finish. Now if you're done lambasting me, I'm going to hang up," Elena snaps, biting on her lower lips to stop herself from uttering something that she knows that they'll all regret.

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. I'm still your mother."

"Goodbye, mother." Elena quickly ends the call, turning it off because she knows full well her mother won't take kindly to being hung up on. Dropping it back into her purse, Elena returns to staring out of the window. Even though their marriage is a shambles right now, Elena loves her husband with everything in her. But if their love was so strong, why did their marriage so easily crumble? Elena thinks to herself. Although she knows that they both share responsibility in the breakdown of their relationship, Elena can't help but wonder if love alone will be enough to fix things between them. Despite the many uncertainties, Elena knows that Damon loves her but does Damon know that she loves him. With his mood as it is and as stubborn as he is, Elena knows better than to try to start a conversation with him right now. Having nothing better today, Elena shifts her position, lays the seat back and closes her eyes, grateful that sleep is quick in coming.

"Hi," Elena gushes when she walks into The Bourbon Room, finding Damon staring at a platter full of cupcakes.

"Ooh, you think we could sneak one before the party?" Elena asks, smiling at her man.

"I think Caroline might fry us in the sun," Damon teases, holding one out for her to take a bite.

"It's worth the risk," Elena winks. Her eyes meet his as she leans in to take a bite.

"Mmm." Smiling, Damon watches intently as she takes a bite, savoring the flavor of the rich buttercream icing as it erupts on her taste buds. When Elena pulls away, Damon reaches over to brush her lower lip with his thumb.

"Come here."

"You know, we never talked about the fact that you kissed me last night. In the middle of our fight, you just kissed me."

"And you kissed me back?"

"I know."

"That's the whole point of kissing so you don't have to talk about it. Right?"

"Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm good with it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah.."

"We, we're good. Really good," Elena says, her eyes playful and twinkling.

"Was this the talk?" Damon asks, an ear to ear smile forming on his face.

"Pretty much."

"Perfect," Damon mumbles, leaning forward to capture her lips in a heady kiss.

When Damon notices that Elena's breathing is even and rhythmic, he chances a look at her. Thankful that she's sound asleep so he doesn't have to speak, Damon drives, staring straight ahead, occasionally venturing yet another glance at her. His gut is roiling with anxiety about their marriage. Is it really over, Damon thinks to himself, squeezing the steering wheel even harder. The drive is tedious and boring till they reach the Blue Ridge Parkway. The mountains are beautiful, the abundance of pine trees makes for a peaceful drive. After taking the exit that he mentioned to Elena at the motel, Damon feels a bit of unease when it starts to snow. Shaking it off because it's just a light dusting, Damon continues to drive. Suddenly he notices that the mph gauge is dropping. Pressing on the gas pump doesn't help at all. Shifting into neutral, Damon turns the ignition, hoping it'll fire up. Having lost all power, Damon pulls to the side of the road. What's worse is that he hasn't seen any traffic in either direction for the last couple of hours. Once the vehicle makes a complete stop, Damon pulls the hood lever then jumps out of the car to check the electronics. Finding nothing wrong, Damon drops the hood then pulls his cellphone out of his pocket. Of course, the car would croak where there is no reception. Frustrated beyond measure, Damon looks up at the now threatening looking sky. With his focus only on how to find help, Damon doesn't notice that Elena has gotten out of the car.

"What's wrong, Damon?" Elena asks. Damon can tell that she's scared by the tone of her voice. Cold, Elena quickly zips up her coat and thrusts her hands in her pockets.

"Damon?"

"The car died, Elena. I don't know what's wrong and on top of that, there's no cell signal here. I'm sorry, okay?"

"Damon, it's not your fault but what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Elena. I guess we'll have to either start walking or hope a good Samaritan will come along."

"Damon, I'm scared," Elena whispers, her eyes beginning to moisten. Knowing that he has to protect her, Damon opens his arms, embracing her in a hug. Even though he knows that these moments are probably nearing an end, Damon can't help but drop a kiss to the crown of her head, while whispering that he won't let anything happen to her.

To be continued...

Humungous thanks to you, Eva. Love you so much. Your wisdom and love and brilliance are simply boundless.

Also a huge thanks to all of you. Your support and kind words are the main reason that I'm still here. I seriously considered leaving fan fiction not all that long ago. Know that each and every one of you are very much appreciated. Thank you.

This story is based on my own prompt for 2015's Christmas A2A exchange on Live Journal.

I found the cover image on a web search. I did not make it aside from adding the title of the story. Credit to whoever did so.

Please remember to click the review button and follow along if you're interested to see what happens.

'Nothing Left to Fear', 'Turn the Page' and 'I Fall to Pieces' are all still in progress. Would love your thoughts on those as well.

Be safe and have a wonderful day.