This is dedicated to Eva, Pattie, Kim, Kate, FFloves, Rebecca and Sofia too. Thank you so much. I can't even express how much your support means to me.
Pulling off his helmet, Damon wipes his dirt and sweat drenched brow with the back of his forearm. Looking over the burnt and still smoldering timber, he's glad they were able to get a handle on this fire quickly. After taking a long pull on a bottle of water, he douses the rest of it over his head. Seeing Rebekah leaning against a tree, he walks over to her. This was her first foray into the world of smoke jumping. He made sure to keep her close to either himself, Brady or Elena over the last three days that they've been fighting this fire. Weighed down by his gear, he gingerly walks over to her.
"You okay?" he asks, his chest heaving with fatigue.
"Yeah, I'm good. I won't deny that the beast is scary beyond belief but it was also exhilarating to do battle with mother nature and come out victorious," she offers, chugging a big swallow from her own water bottle.
"It is a rush," Damon admits, his eyes drifting to where Brady, Elena are standing. Even though she has ash smudged on her cheeks and her hair damp, she's still the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. His heart beats forcefully against his ribs at the very sight of her. When Nik approaches, Damon gives his shoulder a squeeze.
"Have you heard anything about Kol?" Nik asks, since Damon is their team leader.
"I radioed Ric to check on him a little while ago. He's suffering from smoke inhalation but according to your brother, he'll be as good as new in no time."
"Thank, God," Rebekah breathes, giving her cousin, Nik, a hug.
"Let's finish mopping up and then we can go home," Damon adds, chancing another glance at Elena. When he sees her holding out her arm and the look on Brady's face, he quickly closes the distance between them. As soon as he sees the angry red scratch, the skin around it already red, concern washes over his face. Having seen and experienced enough scratches and burns in his career, he knows that it's nothing to scoff at. "You need to get this looked at. It's full of dirt and ash, I don't want you to get an infection."
"It's nothing, Damon," she protests, rolling her eyes. "I'll clean it up when we get back."
"You'll let a doctor clean it up. You might need some antibiotics. I'm not taking no for an answer. You are an EMT, Elena. You know that this could turn into a cellulitis if you don't take care of it. And if it turns out to be nothing, all the better but I don't want to chance it. Besides if you're sick, you can't watch Willow this weekend," he teases, giving her a wink.
"You can be so exasperating," she blurts out, jerking her arm out of his hands. Tightening her lips, she glares at him and then stalks off to the emergency vehicle that's parked near a couple of Liz's firetrucks.
Standing back, he motions everyone to get into their plane. By sheer happenstance, he turns around just in time to see Elena jogging towards him. Holding up her bandaged arm, she glares at him, "Are you satisfied now?"
"Indeed I am, Elena. What kind of boss would I be if I cared nothing for the health and wellbeing of my team members?" he snaps back, feeling a bit irate himself. He'll be damned if he's going to lose one of his best smokejumpers because she was too stubborn to get a scratch cleaned up. Taking a breath he looks away from her as she crawls into their plane. After he makes sure everyone is inside, he jumps in himself and pulls the hatch closed.
As soon as their plane lands at Fort Wainwright's airfield, Damon heads straight to his locker. Once he's down to his tee shirt and jeans, he pulls it off over his head before dropping down onto the bench. Bending over at the waist, he rakes his hands through his hair. Feeling fatigued, he just sits there for a few minutes. When he sits up, he happens to notice Stefan and Elena. Although Stefan looks upset, pointing at her arm, all he can read from Elena's expression is annoyance. When she tries to turn away from him, his brother darts around her till he's facing her again. Because they're talking in low voices, Damon can't hear anything. Rather than eavesdrop, he drags himself to his feet and steps in the shower. Turning on the hot water, he stands there for a few moments just letting the water wash over him. Picking up a bar of soap, he starts to wash the ash and grime of his body. When his fingers run along his scar, he cringes for a moment, remembering what happened and how close to dying he actually was. He still feels a shiver run through his body when he remembers that day.
Brushing it off, he finishes showering, cinches a towel around his waist and then steps out. Despite his state of undress, he doesn't go straight back to the locker room, instead he heads to Ric's office to check on Kol and maybe ask him why Stefan was here. With his head down, he suddenly lands on his ass when his brother plows right into him. Rather than help him up, he glares at Damon, slamming the door open as hard as he can before he disappears out of it. Shaking off the stupor, he gets up and goes to find Ric. Knocking on his door frame, Damon steps inside, taken aback when he's pelted in the face with a bathrobe.
"What?" Damon jokes, slipping the bathrobe on.
"Have a seat, Damon."
"I was just coming to ask you about Stefan. He knocked me down and left in a huff."
"I told him that he's a good guy but I didn't think smoke jumping was the job for him. I also told him that if he insists on staying the course that he would have to go through a battery of psychological tests. He was none too pleased with me," Ric mentions. Standing up, he refills the coffee cup in his hand. When Damon nods, he fills one for him too. Taking a deep pull from the Styrofoam cup, Damon thinks about what he's been told.
"Maybe I'll go have a talk with him. He never talked about smoke jumping when we were growing up. He mentioned the fire department so maybe he'd prefer being a traditional fireman? I don't know, Ric. He's my brother but I would agree that he lets his emotions overcome his common sense sometimes. He's not only a danger to the others, he's a danger to himself too. I don't know if my parents would forgive me if something happened to him on my watch." Staring at nothing for a few minutes, Damon finishes off his coffee and tells Ric that he's going to try to track down Stefan to have a chat. Blowing out a puff of air, he drops the robe with a smirk and heads back to locker room amid whistles and cat calls from his buddies. Feeling a little rebellious and with the locker room door only a foot away, he gives them a wink and drops his towel, flashing his naked ass at them. Before he can duck into the room, a crumpled up paper cup hits him in the back of the head. Laughing so hard that his body shakes, he disappears into the now empty room, shutting the door behind him.
When he sees his brother's car parked outside of their usual hangout, he pulls in. Hoping Stefan is in a little better mood, he pulls himself out of his car and walks inside. Although he's quite tired, having battled a forest fire for the last seventy two hours, Damon looks around. When he sees his brother on the far end of the bar, he thinks to himself, here goes nothing and then walks over, plopping himself down on the bar stool beside him.
"Stef," he says, signaling for Callie to give him a beer.
"Did you want something, Damon?" he asks, turning on his stool to face his brother.
"You were obviously upset when you left the place. I wanted to see if you were okay. I know we're not the best of buddies, Stefan but you're my family."
"Ric doesn't think I'm cut out to be a smokejumper. Who the hell is he to tell me that?"
"Stefan, he's the boss. If I had taken that job when it was offered to me, I probably would've suggested the same thing. Too often you let your emotions get the best of you. You not only put Will in danger, Stefan, you put yourself in danger too. How do you think mom and dad, not to mention Willow and me would feel if something happened to you? God Stef, I'd never forgive myself," Damon adds, thanking the barmaid when she slides a frosty mug in front of him.
"I did like the job till you all started pressuring me to do this and that. I'm not you, Damon." After his outburst, he turns his head, staring at Damon for a long moment before dropping his eyes back to his hands that clutching his beer.
"Have you thought about talking to Liz? You loved hanging around the fire station when we were kids."
"I don't want to think about it now. I just want Elena back. I tried to get her to let me take her out for something to eat but she wouldn't even listen to me. Said she has a date with someone else."
"I think that ship has sailed, Stefan," Damon adds, finishing off what's left in his mug. Deciding it would be prudent to keep his thoughts to himself, Damon thinks she probably told him that to get him to lay off.
"It hasn't sailed cause she lied to me. I don't believe for a moment that she has a date with someone else," he adds, signaling for Matt to refill their mugs. Stepping over to them with the towel draped over his shoulders, Damon can't quite place the smug look he has on his face. Taking their mugs in hand, he puts them under the tap, filling them up. While Matt is tending to their alcohol needs, Stefan is texting Elena. Damon happens to notice her name in the address bar.
"Stefan, she's probably already asleep. We're all exhausted after being out for seventy two hours. Let her sleep."
"I'm not letting up till she admits that she was lying about going out with some other guy," Stefan adds, his voice rising with each syllable that comes out of his mouth.
Sliding their mugs back to them, Matt puts his hand on top of Stefan's phone. When he looks up, Matt blurts out, "Sorry guys, Elena wasn't lying, she's going out with me," he informs them, raising his eyebrows triumphantly. Lifting his glass to Matt, Damon says, "Touche'" and takes a drink. Although he feels a little bit sorry for Stefan, the pang of jealousy he feels erupting in his belly is unsettling to say the least.
Once he finishes his drink, he tells Stefan that he needs sleep and calls it a night. Walking out of the bar, he walks over to his car, leaning against the driver's side for a moment while he looks at the pristine starlit sky above. Breathing in the still cool night air, he lets his head clear a little slowly hauls his ass into the driver's seat and heads for home to crash in his big, comfortable bed.
Flopping down face first on the mattress, he closes his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly but not without thoughts of her and how much he'd love to have her in this very bed, snuggled against his chest after a long night of lovemaking.
Completely exhausted herself after fighting the fire for three days, Elena drops her forehead against the steering wheel after flicking off the ignition. Yawning widely, she finally summons the strength to get out of the car and go into her house. As much as she loves Caroline, she's just too tired to chat right now. All she wants to do is sleep. As soon as she gets to her room, she slips into a tee shirt and sleep shorts and then crashes face first onto her bed. Laying there for a few minutes, she rolls over, pulls up the covers and closes her eyes. Although she's fatigued beyond collapse, her thoughts turn to Matt. He's a really nice guy and she has to admit that she's looking forward to their date later this week. And then her mind shifts to Damon. As maddening as he is sometimes, there's something about him that she can't quite put her finger on. And the fact that he's drop dead gorgeous doesn't hurt either, she thinks to herself. Knowing that she shouldn't be thinking about him that way, Elena throws her forearm over her eyes. After tossing and turning for a good half hour and wanting nothing more than to turn her brain off, she drags herself out of bed to take a couple of pain pills to see if that will help her sleep. With her feet padding against the hard wood floor, she reaches into the cupboard, grabs the bottle of Advil, swallowing a couple of them quickly. Leaning against the counter for a few seconds, she puts the glass in the sink and then plods back to her room. Not wanting to be awakened for anything, save for a house fire, she pushes in some earplugs, then snuggles into the pillow, letting her eyes drift shut.
When she feels a hand jostling her arm, Elena lurches upright in bed. Turning her head, she see Caroline her hands raised in surrender. "Why in God's name would you wake me when you knew I've been without sleep for...?" Elena snaps, her fatigue finally catching up with her.
"Don't shoot the messenger," Caroline says, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What are you talking about?"
"Since you haven't been answering your phone, you mom has been calling mine nonstop asking where you are. You know how insistent she can be."
"What? Why?" Elena asks, her level of exhaustion beginning to take its toll on her demeanor. Dropping her chin to her chest in frustration, Elena holds out her hand to take Caroline's phone. Feeling it, she puts it to her ear. "What is it, mom?" she asks, raking her hand through her hair.
"Where have you been? You missed your father's event two days ago. These events are important to him. You know that."
"I haven't been home. We responded to a fire burning in tundra about two miles east of Koyuk. We didn't get home till just a few hours ago. Now if that's all, I'm going to go back to sleep."
"No, you will not. You will get your butt in gear and get over here. Katherine is here and we're having a get together," Isobel scolds, her irritation quite obvious.
"Really? You're going to make me drag myself out of bed when I haven't slept for three days and for a meal?"
"Yes, Elena, I do expect you to be here. We need to show a united front."
"No one is running against him for mayor anyway. Who does he have to impress?"
"Elena, I will not have anymore of your insubordination. I expect you to be here by six. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yeah, I'll be there," she adds, clicking the phone off without bothering to say goodbye. Feeling tears forming in her eyes, she falls back onto the mattress. Normally she wouldn't give her mother the satisfaction of making her cry. But her levels of both frustration and exhaustion combine to create a maudlin Elena. Rather than fight it, she just lets herself cry. After maybe twenty minutes, she throws her legs over the side of the bed, burying her face in her hands for a few minutes to recompose herself. Once the tears stop, she pads into her bathroom, fills the tub with hot water and then crawls in, allowing herself a few extra moments to relax before she has to face her metaphorical firing squad all over again.
Pulling into their driveway, Elena is dismayed and a bit angered when she sees all the cars that are parked around her parents property. Knowing that this is probably another campaign event, she somehow swallows down every instinct that's telling her back out and drive back home. Grabbing her bag, she gets out of the car. Rather than face all of their company, she walks around the back of the house and slips in through the kitchen door. Unfortunately her mother happens to be standing in the kitchen. Dropping her chin to her chest, she sucks in a breath and walks inside. Although Emily smiles at her, her mother scowls, raising an eyebrow. "You're late."
"I had to stop at the drugstore to pick up a bottle of five hour energy."
Brushing her off, Isobel walks over to her, lifts up her arm and inspects her bandaged forearm. "What's this?"
"I got hit by a tree branch as it came down. My boss insisted that I get it looked at."
"Elena, now everyone will want to know what you did. I'm going to get you a sweater so that it doesn't take attention away from your father. You wait here," Isobel says, dismissing her to run upstairs.
"Have a seat, Elena. I'll make you a cup of coffee."
"Thank you, Emily. I could sure use one," Elena admits, smiling at the kind woman. Leaning her elbows on the table top, she rakes her fingers through her chestnut tresses. Just as Emily slides a cup of coffee in front of Elena, Isobel returns with a pale gray sweater. Handing it to her daughter, she doesn't back away till Elena stands up and slips it on. It's then that her mother gets an eyeful of her tattoo.
"Oh my God, when did you get that?" she shrieks, pulling the collar to get a better look at her daughter's artwork. "What on earth ever possessed you to do such a thing? A tattoo, Elena, really?"
"I like it. Besides, it's my body and you don't have to look at it," Elena blurts out rather indignantly.
"Enough with the backtalk," she scolds, pointing her finger in Elena's face. "Finish your coffee and then you come out and join the rest of us. I don't want to see you yawning either, people will think that your father's speech is boring."
"Aren't they always?" Elena snaps, her lack of sleep hindering her usual solemn mood.
"I'll pretend that I didn't hear that. Hurry up and drink your coffee," she says, then disappears through the kitchen door.
As much as she wants to run, she knows that she better make an appearance or her mother will rail at her all over again. After swallowing down the second cup of coffee, she forces a smile on her face and then walks into the dining room to join the festivities. She makes a point of letting the crowd see that she's here before taking a seat. Pausing momentarily when their eyes meet, John immediately starts to yap again, telling the people how he intends to bring new businesses into their small town. Once he finishes, he invites everyone to partake in refreshments. Needing more caffeine, Elena fills a coffee cup and steps back and out of the way. Making a point to say hello to Caroline's aunt and uncle, Elena spends a little time talking to them before fading into the background. With no one paying attention to her, she quietly sneaks up the stairs, hoping to hide out in her room for awhile. Just as she reaches the top of the stairs, she runs right into her sister, Katherine who gives her the once over with scornful eyes.
"Oh, Elena. We really need to get you some better clothes. You look... frumpy," she says, walking around Elena like she was some specimen on display at a museum or zoo.
Holding her breath, she forces a sickeningly sweet smile adding, "I'll keep that in mind, Katherine."
"What are you doing up here anyway? Do I need to tell mother that you're shirking your duties as a Gilbert?"
"I just walked up here to use the bathroom. I'll be downstairs in a few minutes." Katherine smirks then turns her back to Elena. Feeling her temper beginning to rage, she reaches for her sister's arm, spinning her around.
"Elena, what are you doing?" She snaps, slapping Elena's fingers.
"Who the hell do you think you are treating me like I'm Cinderella and you're one of the privileged stepsisters? I have a life, Katherine, aside from this family."
Just as she's about to retort, Katherine notices her father at the foot of the stairs. "Daddy, Elena is being mean to me," she says, in her child like voice. But the moment she turns back to Elena, she raises her eyebrows triumphantly then trots down the steps, stopping only to give John a kiss on the cheek. Closing the distance between them, John backs her against the guardrail.
"What is your problem, Elena? Your sister just got home and you start picking on her immediately. I won't tolerate it. It's always the same with you. I can't for the life of me understand why you always have to be so rebellious. You're a Gilbert and there are certain standards you need to live up to. Do you understand?"
Although she feels like she's going to burst a vessel, she somehow manages to keep her temper under wraps. "Maybe it's in my blood," she says, raising her chin in a show of defiance. John stares at her for a few minutes before he turns around and goes back downstairs. Sitting down on the top step, Elena laces a hand into the hair on either side of her head. Even though she's not Cinderella, somehow it feels a pretty apt description. With her mind on the train wreck that is her family, the image of Damon and how he dotes on his little sister fills her mind. She can't help but smile when she think about how that tiny little girl has her big brother completely wrapped around her little finger. It's obvious that Damon is her hero, the way she talks about him all the time.
After sitting for maybe a fifteen minutes, Elena jumps to her feet. Running down the stairs, she darts through the crowd, into the kitchen to pick up her bag and out of the door. About to open her car door, Elena drops her head against the roof when she hears her name. Turning her head, she relaxes visibly when she sees that it's her brother, Jeremy.
"If you're leaving, I'm coming with," he says, hopping into the passenger seat.
"You know mom will have our asses," Elena points out as soon as she slides behind the wheel.
"She's always mad about something. Come on, sis. Live a little," he adds, clapping his hand down on the dash.
"You jump, I jump," she laughs, turns the key and moments later, they're making their getaway to the strumming guitar notes of Savatage blaring on the CD player.
Big thanks to you all. Thank you so much for putting this over 100 reviews already. I'm humbled.
And as always, a big thanks to my dear sister, Eva. Couldn't do this without her wisdom and insight.
Chapter title: 'Wonderful' by Everclear
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Be safe, have a wonderful day and thank you all again. And I just finished working nearly 14 hours so please forgive any errors. I'm circling the drain so I'm going to bed now so I can go back and do it all again in a few hours. I do hope you all have a fabulous week ahead.