Waking up the next morning, Damon cringes when the sun hits him squarely in the eyes. Feeling her hand around his middle, he lifts it off. Rolling over causes his stomach to begin to roil from all the alcohol he drank. And as much as he wanted the distraction, no amount of alcohol or sex could blur her image out of his head. Shuddering at the thought, he gets up as quietly and as carefully as he can. Wanting to make a getaway before she awakens, he quickly slips on his clothes, even going to far as to sit on the floor to put his shoes back on. With soft steps, he tiptoes out of her bedroom, pulling the door shut behind him.
Although he's in dire need of a cup of coffee, he wants to get home before Sheila is awake. As much as his private life is really none of her business, he knows she doesn't like the fact that he enjoys spending time with the ladies. Pulling out a cigarette, he lights it as he walks as quickly as he can down the sidewalk. When he reaches his place, he stomps out the cigarette butt and then runs into his place.
"Long night?" Elijah asks, unable to stifle a cackle.
"Ha, ha," Damon mumbles, walking past him before jogging up the grand staircase that leads to his large apartment. One of these days he's going to buy a beachfront home for himself and Sheila. He knows she'd much prefer the peace and quiet of a house, far away from the noise and crime and general lawlessness of San Francisco's Barbary Coast. When he reaches his front door, he pulls his key out of his pocket and ever so quietly unlocks the place. After taking off his shoes, he slides across the hardwood floor towards his bedroom. Just as he's about to step inside, Sheila opens her door, catching him red handed. Saying nothing, she just gives him an all too familiar look before walking right past him towards the kitchen.
"Breakfast will be ready soon," she adds, without turning around.
Dropping his chin to his chest, Damon hates the feeling that erupts inside at her disapproval. She means the world to him and yet he's always disappointing her. Shaking his head, he strips out of his clothes and walks into the bathroom. Picking up the soap, he washes his body. Even though he indulges himself with the ladies, he doesn't want to get some disease so he always makes sure he wears protection. Plus he doesn't want to be surprised with any little Salvatore's running around. Shuddering at the thought, Damon finishes rinsing himself off and then steps out, grabbing a towel after stepping on the floor. As soon as he's finished shaving and grooming his hair, he gets dressed and heads to the kitchen to face the music as it were.
"Good morning," he says, giving her a kiss on the cheek before pulling a coffee mug out of the cupboard. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, he sits down. Taking a long pull, he closes his eyes, savoring the rich taste. "Alright, Sheila, purge, let it out."
"I'm not saying a word, not a single word. You already know how I feel about your carousing. There's no sense repeating it again," she replies, giving him that look again when she slides a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and a couple of baking powder biscuits in front of him.
"I know but I hate it when you look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"You know like what," he retorts, sticking a piece of bacon in his mouth.
"I have no idea what you're talking about she says, taking a swallow of coffee.
Knowing he's not going to get anywhere with her, Damon finishes eating, the silence between them creating an imaginary wall. When he finishes, he puts his plate in the sink. Staring at her for a few seconds, he takes a breath, presses another kiss to her cheek and then leaves the apartment to go to work.
"Good morning, Elena."
"Good morning, Brady," she says, taking a seat at the table. Her brother hands her a plate of pancakes. "These smell delicious. You remembered how much I love them."
"How could I forget that?" he laughs, sticking a stack of pancakes in his mouth.
"I would like to find a job or something, Brady," she asserts, not willing to sit inside the rectory day in and day out.
"I can't discuss it with you now, I have Mass. But we will talk later, okay?"
"I guess. Um, do you want me to come to Mass with you?"
"It would be nice to introduce you to my parishioners. But I think you'll be forgiven if you don't want to go one morning."
"Let me wash up and then I'll go with you," Elena adds, putting her plate in the sink.
"Thank you."
"I wouldn't want you to look bad in front of your congregation," she laughs. After washing her face and hands, she slips a mantilla on her head and then follows her brother to the church. While he heads towards the sanctuary, she walks down the aisle, genuflecting before stepping in. With her prayer book in hand, she kneels down for a few seconds. Once she sits, she happens to notice a plaque by one of the stained glassed windows that it was courtesy of Damon Salvatore in memory of his parents. Just like that her mind drifts to him and the dance they shared. Even though he's older and more mature, she can't deny how her heart slammed inside of her chest when he laid his hand on her lower back as they moved to the rhythm of the music. When someone genuflects beside her, she snaps out of it and slides over to make room. It's then that the music starts and the congregants begin to sing. Although she sings along, she still can't seem to get him out of her head.
Having studied math and science in school, Brady puts Elena to work putting the parish's financial books in some kind of order. Frustrated that he can't add two and two, she words hard to get things in order. Pencil in hand, she does the calculations. However, she knows she won't get them properly organized per Brady's request any time soon. The parish records, births, deaths and so forth need cataloging. With the pencil in her mouth, she feels restless and on edge. This is certainly anything but what she had in mind when she told him she wanted something to occupy her time. After stewing for sometime, her belly churning with frustration, she drops the pencil, picks up her skirt and goes in search of her brother.
"Did you want something?" Brady asks, not looking up from his newspaper.
"I want to go out. I don't like being stuck inside here like a prisoner."
"You're hardly a prisoner, Elena? And besides, where would you go?"
"I don't know, downtown, shopping maybe?" she adds, walking into her room to get her coat.
"Elena?"
"Fine, I'm just going to go for a walk then."
"Okay, then I'll go with you."
"I don't need you to chaperone me, Brady. I know how to walk," she snaps, slipping her coat over her shoulders. After sharing a look with him, she walks out of the house before he can utter another word. Pulling the coat tight due to the chilly breeze blowing in off of the Pacific, Elena walks down the sidewalk, not really paying attention to the distance. Before she knows it, she finds herself on Damon's street. The one that his business is located on. Since it's getting dark, she decides to continue on to his place hoping that maybe he'll offer her a ride home.
When she reaches the place, she's struck by all the bright flashing lights and the loud music. Suddenly feeling indecisive, she doesn't know whether or not she should venture inside or not. After several moments of should I or shouldn't I, Elena swallows back her nerves and pushes the doors open. Looking around, she starts to walk inside, a little bothered by the way everyone is looking at her. She breathes an inward sigh of relief when she sees Damon standing at the bar talking to another man.
As she approaches, he happens to look up just as she nears him. "Elena, what a nice surprise," Damon mentions, truly surprised by her presence. "What brings you here?"
"I, um, went for a walk and I didn't even notice till I was on your street. I hope it's okay?"
"Of course. Are you thirsty?"
"Oh no, Brady would murder me."
"I do have some tea and lemonade. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that."
"Lemonade then, but don't go to any trouble."
"Elena, it's fine," Damon adds, opening the ice box and pouring a glass full for her. As he watches her put her lush lips on the rim of the glass, he can't deny the hitch in his breath or the tingle in his manhood. Stop it, Damon he thinks to himself. Changing the topic, he asks her how she's adjusting to being in San Francisco again and what she's doing with herself.
After going into detail about trying to organize the church business, Damon laughs at the expression she makes. Giggling herself, she finds herself completely enthralled with the handsome man. Damon takes a seat beside her. Not immune to her charms, Damon finds himself falling captive to those big hypnotic doe eyes of hers. It feels as if he's tumbling into the looking glass. But when he remembers Brady and that he'll murder him, Damon pushes it aside for now. Reminiscing, Elena brings up the time she was making mud pies and how he tipped his bicycle and landed face first in it.
Laughing uproariously, Damon doesn't notice when the lady he spent the night with walks up to him. Putting her hand on his shoulder, Rose gives Elena a wink before stooping down to whisper something in his ear. Before Damon can tell her to leave, she mentions what a tiger he is in bed. Suddenly feeling very out of place and blushing profusely, Elena stands up to put her coat back on. Unable to stop herself from glancing at him once more, she quickly turns and walks away. Although he has no clue as why, guilt begins to burn out of control inside of him. With his belly churning, he can taste the bile at the back of his throat. Jumping out of his chair, he glares at Rose before chasing after Elena, reaching her just as she's about to step through the door.
"Elena, I'm sorry you had to hear that." Damon says uneasily, feeling something akin to shame. It's the same thing he often feels when Sheila happens to catch him coming home after a dalliance. God, he hates it when she looks at him like that, easily leveling him without saying a word. It creates such a conundrum in his mind. When she looks at him that way, it never fails to make him want to do better but he doesn't want to give up his lady friends either. But when Elena looks at him with those big brown doe eyes, he feels shame, unlike anything he's felt for a very long time. It's perplexing to him because he doesn't understand why this one girl has such a profound effect on him.
Speechless herself, she says nothing, instead she pulls her arm loose and goes outside. It's getting dark and she's certain that Brady is very likely worried about her. She starts to take off down the sidewalk but is forced to stop when someone latches onto her wrist. "Elena, stop. I can't let you walk home alone. Come back with me so I can get you a ride." Still silent, she just nods but doesn't even look at him as they walk back to his place side by side.
When Brady finishes Mass, he and Elena go to the church hall for the monthly Sunday dinner. Taking a plate, they get in line to fill them with all the delicious dishes that the parishioners prepared. After taking a seat, she lays her napkin daintily across her lap and then picks up her fork. Not paying attention to anything but a bird sitting on a branch just outside of the window, Elena doesn't notice when a young man takes a seat between her and Brady. Hearing the chair slide against the floor, she looks up, her eyes drifting from him to her brother.
"Elena, this is Matt Donovan."
"Matt, my sister, Elena."
"Hello, miss, may I call you Elena?"
"Yes, of course," Elena says, forcing an uneasy smile.
"I think I'll go for seconds," Brady interrupts, pushing his chair back to stand up. Knowing what he's up to, Elena is more than a little agitated. Although she hasn't seen Damon in a couple of weeks, it's still his face that she sees every night when she closes her eyes. As soon as he stands up, they share a look and Brady is very well aware of her displeasure. However, he knows that Matt Donovan is fine upstanding young man who would be an excellent match for his little sister. With the raise of an eyebrow, he wordlessly says to her to be nice. Since she knows it's not the young man's fault, she nods ever so slightly. But she does plan to have a few words with him when they get home later this afternoon.
"Fr. Brady told me that you just got back to San Francisco a few weeks ago?"
"That's right. I went to school in New York."
"It must have been exciting to live there?"
"Oh yes, there are museums and parks and many, many things to do."
"I would very much like to hear about it," Matt adds, lifting his fork to his mouth. When her brother doesn't return, Elena looks around, more than a little miffed when she sees him sitting at another table. After the meal is done, Elena excuses herself to go back to the rectory. "I'd like nothing more than to accompany you back," Matt offers, sticking his elbow out for her. Even though she'd rather go by herself, she agrees nonetheless. As soon as they reach the door, she tells him goodbye but he grabs onto her arm.
"I just wanted to say it was an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'd very much like to see you again."
"I'm sure we'll see each other at church. Goodbye, Mr. Donovan," she says politely before disappearing into the safety and solitude of the rectory.
Pulling open the door of the grocery store, Damon motions for Sheila to lead the way. Taking the basket in his arm, he follows her through the aisles as she picks out vegetables and fresh fruits before moving to the meat aisle. Asking the butcher to cut a roast and some pork chops, they wait for him to put their order together. Looking around, he smiles when he sees Elena. Although her back is facing him, he knows it's her when someone bumps her, knocking her basket to the floor. Without hesitating, Damon goes over and helps her pick her things up and put them back into the basket.
"Thank you, Damon," she says, her voice void of emotion.
"It's nice to see you. How are you?" Damon asks, smiling at her. Seeing her here, standing in front of him, he hadn't realized how much he missed her.
"I'm very well, thank you for asking." Turning away when she feels her cheeks begin to heat, she can't deny the way her heart is pounding like a train engine inside of her chest at his mere presence. Elena, you must stop, she says to herself. He'll never see you as anything more than Brady's little sister. Maybe she should go out with Matt. He's asked her to go on a date more than once since they met at the church hall. With the Mikaelson wedding coming up, maybe she'll agree to go with him. That's it, that's what she'll do and then maybe she'll be able to get Damon out of her head once and for all.
"Elena, it's nice to see you child," Sheila says, interrupting the uneasy silence between them.
"You as well... Um I'm sorry but I must be going. Mr. Donovan is waiting for me," Elena adds, using her head to gesture to Matt who's visiting with Tyler Lockwood and his wife, Victoria.
Feeling the dagger twist into his belly, Damon happens to catch Matt as he lifts his eyes and smiles widely at her. After sharing one more look with Damon, she walks away, leaving him and his chaotically stammering heart behind.
Damon stands stiffly beside Elijah as they watch Miss Forbes walk down the aisle. Elijah is the best man, Damon and Nik's other brother Kol are groomsmen. When Mr. Forbes relinquishes her hand to Nik, Damon steps back slightly. On the other side of the aisle is Elijah's sister Rebekah who's one of the bridesmaids as well as Meredith Fell and Andrea Starr. The matron of honor is Caroline's best friend, Victoria Lockwood. Father Brady steps up to perform the ceremony. Even though Nik and Caroline live in Sacramento now, they wanted to get married in their hometown parish. And since Damon, Brady, Nik and Elijah all ran around together growing up, he asked Damon to be one of his attendants.
Once Brady concludes the ceremony and pronounces them man and wife, the organ starts to play. The newly married couple walks down the aisle while being bombarded by handfuls of rice and rose petals. Damon chuckles when Nik gets pelted with a mouthful of rice when he opens it at the wrong time. After they depart the church, they're all transported via carriage to the prestigious Palace Hotel for the reception.
With 755 guest rooms, the Palace Hotel, at the time of its construction, was the largest hotel in the Western United States. At 120 feet in height, the hotel has been San Francisco's tallest building for over a decade. The sky lighted open center of the building featured a Grand Court overlooked by seven stories of white columned balconies which served as an elegant carriage entrance. Shortly after 1900 this area was converted into a lounge called the "Palm Court." The bartender, William "Cocktail" Boothby, a man Damon has tried to lure away to his own establishment, has been a fixture at the hotel for years already. The hotel features large redwood paneled hydraulic elevators. Each suite is equipped with a private bathroom as well as an electric call button to summon a member of the hotel's staff. All guest rooms can be joined together to create suites, or to make up large apartments for long term residents, and the parlor of each guest room features a large bay window overlooking the street below.
Retreating to the bar, Damon starts to visit with Bill Boothby. With his bourbon in hand, he glances around the room, his fuse lit when he sees Matt Donovan with his hand on her lower back. Even though he knows that he has no claim on her whatsoever, he can't help the way he feels, a belly full of jealousy burning and twisting his insides. Setting his glass down, Bill pours him another. After looking away only to take another sip, he feels a hand on his shoulder.
"Damon, you look a little disgruntled. Is everything okay?"
"Yes, of course, Brady. Why do you ask?"
"No reason," he adds, his smiling gaze on his sister and Matt Donovan."
"You look absolutely giddy, Brady," Damon adds, taking another sip of his drink.
"I am. Matt is a good man. He's a fine match for her."
"What about Elena? Does she think that or are you pressuring her? If you ask me, she doesn't look nearly as giddy as you do."
"Stay out of it, Damon. And just so you know, I would never force her to go out with anyone. I just want her to find a nice man who's the complete antithesis of you," he snaps. After swallowing down what's left of his own drink, he slams the glass on the bar top and then walks away. Rolling his eyes, Damon happens to see Elena pull away from Donovan and go up the stairs, likely to use the women's room, he thinks to himself. Shaking his head, he finishes up what's left in his glass and then walks into the crowd to mingle a bit.
With the orchestra reconvening after a break the music starts to play again. As it does, Damon looks up just in time to meet Elena's stare. And suddenly nothing has ever been more clear than it is in this very second. He's completely in love with her. With a longing that he's never ever felt before, he makes his way through the crowd, not once taking his eyes from hers as she continues to descend the staircase. At the same time she reaches the bottom step, Damon steps around Matt Donovan meeting her as her foot touches the floor. Offering his arm, she nods, her smile beaming as Damon leads her to the dance floor. Embracing her, he's so consumed with having her in his arms, everyone else just fades away as the two of them sway to the music, unaware of her brother's toxic gaze as he watches them drift further and further away from him.
The light bulb went off for Damon..
Huge thank you to my dearest friend in the world, Eva. I love you to pieces.
Huge, huge thanks to all of you. I mean it sincerely when I say you are the best audience. I saw how even a couple of you, regular readers, outed a plagiarizer. Great work.
Chapter title: 'I've Never Been So Sure' by Restless Heart.
For whatever reason, alerts haven't been going out on the stories. I have updated TTBTR and EOT this week.
I hope you all have a fabulous day and weekend. Thank you again for everything.