Welcome back.
Damon started feeling antsy as soon as he drove past the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign. This was one shit hole he had never wanted to set foot in again! But if he wanted to make easy bucks, and get his revenge on Elena, he needed to be here and do this.
The town obviously hadn't changed a bit. Still the same old dirt roads. The same old boring town square. He could spot the Mystic Grill in the distance, a place where he and Ric would hang sometimes. Even that one hadn't changed.
Damon really didn't want to be here. This place reminded him of the pathetic loser he once was. It reminded him of the things he went through when he was picked upon. O well, time to take the experience and turn it into something good.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a lazy smile.
His mind started wandering to Elena Gilbert. He wondered what she would look like now. She had been so beautiful in high school. He could still picture the chocolate coloured hair, her mile long legs, her big brown eyes.
Would she still be a knock out?
Twenty years was a long time. It had done wonders for him. What had it done for her? The fact that she still lived in this dump didn't bode well.
He looked at the file lying next to him on the passenger seat. In there, there was everything he needed to know about Elena Gilbert. But he hadn't glanced at it once. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to open that part of his life yet.
For a lawyer, it wasn't very smart to go to a client unprepared. It was his duty to check out all the dirt. But he hadn't. It kind of chagrined him. It meant Elena Gilbert still got to him somehow. If he wanted to see this plan through, he needed to not give a fuck.
He was all about that. The tough exterior. Mister bad guy.
He was known in the world of law as a cold and detached man. Nothing was able to hurt him. And he always won his case. He was notorious. Some Districts of Attorney's were scared shitless of him. He liked it that way. And he wanted to keep that reputation. So there was NO way he would let Elena Gilbert screw him up all over again!
But then why did he feel just a tad nervous as he parked in front of her house?
He clutched the steering wheel tight in his hands, taking a few breaths to calm himself.
Her house looked nice enough. It was a two story building in a nice and quiet street. So she obviously had done well for herself.
He took another deep breath. Time to face the music.
"Come on, you pussy! Get your ass in there and have your revenge!" he told himself.
He grabbed her file of his passenger seat, embarrassingly noticing his hands shaking just a tiny bit.
'Though exterior, remember? Tough exterior!'
He stepped out of the car and walked over towards her front door with sure steps. He felt himself become the lawyer again. The feel of his suit, leather briefcase and 400 dollar shoes always changed him.
He would give her a run for her money!
With a strong fist, he knocked on her front door and waited.
After a few moments it opened.
Damon put on his most charming smile.
A smile that faltered when he took in the person standing before him.
Fuck! She was still hot!
He recognised her immediately.
Elena Gilbert had become quite a woman! Sure, she had been beautiful in high school. But that was nothing compared to this vision.
He found himself gulping as he took in her full breasts. Her round hips. She still had gorgeous long, dark tresses. But they now curled a bit, framing her exquisite face.
Her skin was still so soft and olive looking. And those big, brown eyes were looking at him expectantly.
Right, he was here to work!
He cleared his throat and held out his hand for her to shake.
"Miss Gilbert? My name is Damon Salvatore. I'll be representing you," he said in a thankfully steady voice.
Her face broke out into a small smile and she took his hand. He felt the move immediately. Sparks of electricity shot up his arm.
Damn!
'Keep her out, Damon! Keep her out!'
"Hello Mr. Salvatore. Why don't you come in?"
Damon felt his heartbeat pick up at the sound of her voice. It was so husky!
He stepped over the threshold and looked around, while she led him to the sitting room.
It was a bit frustrating to find no flaw in her home. She had made it real warm and inviting. Fuck! He had hoped at least one thing in her life wasn't going so well. Well, she had hired him. Which meant she had some sort of trouble with the law. That made him feel a little better.
It was pretty obvious she didn't recognise him. Which was perfect for him! It would only add to the bang once he blew everything wide open.
He sat down on her couch and began right away. No reason to beat around the bush.
"So, you want to explain to me in your own words why, exactly, you have hired me?"
It was devious. He was asking because he had no clue. Some lawyer he was!
He watched her cross her gorgeous legs in front of him, ready to start talking.
"I.."
A piercing wail interrupted her.
The annoying noise came from somewhere at the back of the room. And it was getting louder and louder. It almost sounded like..a baby?
He watched as Elena got up from the couch and walked to a playpen he only now noticed. And yes, she picked up a baby.
All the blood left his face as he watched her coo towards it.
She was a mother now?
Things were getting complicated fast! Was she married?
This definitely screwed up his plans!
He sat dumbfounded as Elena carried the baby, obviously a girl, towards the couch and placed it in her lap.
"So this is the reason I hired you," Elena revealed.
Damon's eyebrows knitted together. A baby was the reason she hired him?
Elena sighed and revealed her tale.
"Her father and I broke up a couple of months after she was born. It just wasn't working out between us. But we made a pretty good deal. We had joined custody. Everything was arranged. And then that bitch Katherine waltzed into his life. Stefan adored the ground she walked on and soon enough they got engaged. It would have been just fine with me, if it wasn't for the fact that he did a complete one eighty. He wants full custody now. Her plan. She said to him that I was in no way able to provide the stable and loving home they could now provide. With them, she would have a mother and a father. A real family. I am a working, single mother. They said I wouldn't stand a chance in court."
Damon took in all the information, but found himself tong tied.
He found himself staring at the baby. This really wasn't going the way he wanted it to go. He found himself feeling sorry for her, instead of rejoicing in the fact that her life wasn't so perfect after all. He wanted to find this Stefan and knock some bloody sense into him.
Maybe he wasn't ready for this. Maybe it would be best to let Ric handle this one.
He was about to get up and leave, when she stopped him with her huge, sad eyes.
"Tell me, Mr. Salvatore. Do I have a chance? I can't loose my daughter. I don't want to end up only visiting her for a few hours a week."
Her voice cracked on the last sentence. Tears filled her eyes and to his horror she began to sob in front of him. She was fucking sobbing!
He clumsily reached for his handkerchief and handed it to her.
"Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry. I don't want to become a mess in front of you."
He found himself smiling reassuringly at her.
"It's okay. I understand how difficult this situation must be," he told her.
And he wasn't lying. He genuinely meant it. He now also knew why Ric called this an easy case. It would have been difficult if he had been representing the father. But it was a well known fact in the world of law that custody hearings almost always ended up in favour of the mother. Unless Stefan had good reasons to call her an unfit mother.
"Miss Gilbert. I'll be brutally honest with you here. Going to court against your ex-husband will be nasty. They will probably pull out all the stops to prove that you are unable to care for your child. But we will win this. Most of the time children are appointed to their mothers. And I will make sure it will be the outcome in this case too. I am the very best. I have never lost a case before," he remarked proudly.
Elena nodded in relief and kissed her daughter's head.
Damon felt his heart warming at the sight.
'Stay detached, Damon!'
He took out his notepad and pen. Time for some questions. He actually had an excuse now to find out about how she had been doing. What her life was like.
"I just need to ask some things here. Things that might help us win this case. I hope you can answer them."
Elena nodded at him.
"Okay, first question. What is your line of work?" Damon asked seriously.
"I'm an editor for the Mystic Falls Gazette."
Damon felt his eyebrows shooting upwards. Seriously? That really suited her. In high school, when he had been pining away for her, he always saw her writing. So it was a funny twist that she wound up with the local newspaper. A newspaper he had read every morning when he was in high school.
Okay, back to the interrogation.
"Do you have a criminal record?"
Elena's mouth fell open.
"Excuse me? Of course not!" she snapped.
Damon almost grinned at her outburst. He loved getting under her skin! But he quickly recomposed and spoke to her in a serious tone.
"Miss Gilbert, in order to win this case, I have to know these things. If you don't have a decent job or a criminal record, your daughter will most definitely be appointed to your ex. So I have to ask for your complete cooperation."
Elena began to blush at his reprimand. She actually blushed! He smirked at getting her so uncomfortable.
Elena nodded in agreement and looked down.
"Okay, next question. How many days a week do you work?" Damon continued.
"I work 3 and a half days."
"And where do you drop of your daughter while you're at work?"
Elena sighed.
"On Mondays and Tuesdays, she goes to a day care centre nearby. And on Wednesday morning and Thursday, she stays with my mother," she told him.
Damon nodded. He remembered Miranda Gilbert. Always so proud of her popular and straight A student kid. This would certainly put a dent in her vision of the perfect daughter. Divorced and a single mom? There was no way Miranda Gilbert would approve. He actually felt sorry for that kid in Elena's lap for having to spend a day and a half with her grandma!
"Final question. What do you and your daughter do on weekends?"
Damon looked up to find Elena looking a little sad.
"Well, on Saturday and Sunday she stays with Stefan. But on Friday I take her to toy stores. Or to the park for an afternoon stroll. Or we just stay in and have a mother and daughter day."
Damon swallowed with difficulty, as he watched Elena's eyes light up every time she talked about her daughter. This was really not the same girl he met in high school.
´Do NOT feel for her, man! Just win this case for your own ego and have a little fun seducing her. You can dump her when you get bored and then reveal your identity. The perfect payback!'
Damon flipped his notepad shut and looked over at Elena.
"This is enough for today. I will come back in about a week and let you know how we will proceed. But I will tell you this. You seem to provide in a loving home for your child just fine. You pay the bills, you stay out of trouble and you take care of your child's needs. I see no problem in winning this case," he ensured her.
Elena smiled relieved at him.
"Do you hear that, Charlotte? You can stay with me," she said to her daughter.
She kissed the kid's chubby cheek and hugged her to her chest.
Damon watched with wary eyes. He felt this woman scratch the surface of his hard exterior. If he wasn't careful, she might be able to break through!
He quickly grabbed hold of his leather briefcase. He needed to get the fuck out and get some air!
"You know, you have the most familiar face."
Damon completely froze in his actions. His palms began to sweat and his heart was pumping loudly.
Did she know already? Did she recognise him?
He carefully turned her way and searched her eyes for clues on what she meant.
"I don't really know how. But I feel like I know you," she stated.
She took a couple of steps forward and looked deeply into his eyes.
Damon felt trapped by the way she looked at him. He couldn't move if his life depended on it.
Suddenly, the moment was gone. Elena quickly looked away and blushed profusely.
"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to stare!" she apologized.
Damon let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know.
"Well, here is my card if you ever need to get in touch. Like I said, I will contact you in a week with the development," he said hurriedly.
He needed to get out of here!
Elena walked him to the door, her daughter still attached to her hip.
"Thank you for your help. I appreciate it," she said gratefully.
Damon clenched his jaw and nodded at her.
He looked over at the kid she was clutching and swallowed as he saw the girl smiling at him. A big, toothless grin.
She was bound to break a few hearts when she grew up.
'Like mother, like daughter,' Damon thought.
"Well, see you next week."
Elena nodded at him.
"See you next week."
Damon almost ran towards his car. He threw his briefcase on the backseat and quickly turned the key in the ignition.
Time to hightail it out of there!
He pushed the pedal to the floorboard and left Mystic Falls with screeching tires….
I was so in awe by the many reviews for the first chapter of this story, I actually became nervous about writing the second. I really hope this lives up to your expectations.
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