Planes, Snow and Camaro's

The airport was bustling with activity as Elena pushed her way through the crowds with her heavy suitcase. From the moment she had set foot in this place, she knew that the snow had caused problems. People were cranky, barking at the staff, checking their watches and looking up at the departure sign with a frown on their face. It certainly didn't bode well for Elena's airplane, and she checked the departure sign herself.

Delayed.

Great! Now she had to spend hours in a frantic place, while she was already feeling like crap. Her entire body felt tired because of the heavy sobbing she had done in the cab. There had been so many times where she had wanted to tell the driver to turn the car around and go back to the Salvatore Boarding House. But Damon's words to his son last night kept playing over and over in her head; he wanted her back in Los Angeles and far away from him.

God, he was so scared to feel anything! He had built up so many walls around him, not even a hurricane could blast its way through it! Well, it was time to forget about him, no matter how hard it was.

She stepped forward to one of the people behind the help desk, wanting to know just how long she would have to spend moping around this place.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. But there is a huge snowstorm hovering over Virginia. It might be a few hours before your plane can take off."

Elena sighed, before thanking the blonde who had provided her with this terrible information. She slumped her shoulders en dragged herself over towards one of the bathrooms, hauling the suitcase behind her. As soon as she reached a mirror, she looked up to find puffy and red-rimmed eyes staring back at her.

The irony was not lost on her, as she thought back on how she had wanted to come to this small town to get away from all the heartache back home. How she had basically wanted to steer clear of any male company. And now she was going back with just that; heartache over a man.

She scowled at herself in the mirror, before reaching into her inner pocket to search for more tissues. Her fingers brushed up against something cold and hard, making her frown. What was that? As she pulled it out, her eyes widened.

The key to the front door of Stefan and Damon's house. She had forgotten all about having it. Well, she would just have to return it to Stefan once she got back to her apartment. Or maybe she could turn back to the Boarding House and hand it back over to Damon…

She immediately chastised herself for the thought. No going back to Damon!

Straightening her shoulders, she stepped back out of the bathroom and searched for an empty seat to spend the next few hours in. She picked one near a window and stared out into the grey, snowy skies.

A few minutes later, a young woman plopped down next to her onto a seat and began sniffling. Elena tried to ignore her, seeing as she was already feeling rotten herself, but in the end she reached for a tissue and handed it to her.

"Thank you," the woman said appreciatively.

"You're welcome," Elena smiled, "Are you okay?"

The woman blew her nose loudly. "Not really. I just had to say goodbye to my boyfriend."

Elena swallowed something.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, well. It's for a good cause. I landed a job in Europe. He's coming over to visit me in 3 months, though. Still, we've never been apart for more than a day or two."

The woman dried her eyes and looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. I wasn't planning on telling you my life story here. I'm just sad, cranky and bored. My plane is not taking off for at least a few more hours."

"Don't worry about it," Elena told her. "Same story here. I've said goodbye to a man and here I am, sitting in a crowded airport on Boxing Day with puffy eyes."

The woman turned her way with interest. "Really? What a coincidence that I threw myself onto the seat next to yours then. Where are you going, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Back home to Los Angeles."

"You live in Los Angeles? Wow, I've always wanted to go there! It must be awesome, with the warm climate and the ocean and all," the woman said dreamily.

Elena snickered. "Trust me, it's not all it's cracked up to be. I came here to get away from it all, it's a tiresome city."

The woman nodded absentmindedly at her answer, her thoughts probably already on her boyfriend again. She remained quiet for a few minutes, before turning Elena's way again.

"So your man is from Virginia then? Sorry if I'm pushing it here. You don't have to answer, but I'm just a sucker for love stories."

Elena picked at her coat. "He's not really my man," she said meekly. "It's… complicated."

The woman laughed. "Somehow, love stories in Virginia are always complicated. You don't even want to know how I hooked up with Ric, my boyfriend. Anyway, if we're going to be sitting here for a few more hours, I might as well introduce myself. I'm Jenna."

Elena shook her hand, smiling. "I'm Elena."

"Well, Elena. I'm not going to pry for the complicated details here. But I hope things work out for you. There is no better feeling in the world than loving someone and knowing that they love you back equally."

Silence filled up the air between them as Elena bit her lip. Jenna came to her conclusions next to her. "You never got to that part, did you? I'm sorry, Elena. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay. I doubt we'll ever be getting to that part anyway. I came to Virginia to clear my head. Then I met him and he fogged up my already cloudy mind even more. He's the most infuriating, confusing man I have ever met and I…"

"You love him," Jenna finished for her. "Have you at least told him this?"

Elena blinked back the tears in her eyes as she shook her head.

"So you're telling me that you just said goodbye to the man you love without telling him that you love him?" Jenna asked incredulously.

"We'll probably never see each other again as well," Elena informed her.

Jenna's mouth dropped open.

"Then what are you doing sitting around an overstuffed airport with severely delayed planes for?! Go back and tell him how you feel!" She almost yelled out.

"You don't know this man, Jenna. I doubt that he'll want to know. He's closed up and ignorant when it comes to human emotions. Besides, he didn't try very hard to come after me. Do we see him around here? No. I'm not getting my heart stomped on."

"Men are dense, Elena. We practically have to spell things out for them. He probably never even knew that you love him. Are you taking a risk by going back and telling him? Yes, but if you don't, you'll always wonder what could have been. If he turns you down, at least you'll know that you have tried everything in the book. Sorry, shutting up now. It's none of my business, of course," Jenna said, her eyes widening with embarrassment with how passionate she had given Elena her opinion.

Elena thought about it for a second. Jenna was right. She had to try and make Damon see that she was serious about her feelings. If he still turned her away after that, she would have at least fought for him. Right now, she wasn't doing anything.

"You know what? I think I'm going back," she suddenly spoke up. She straightened her shoulders, got up from her seat and whipped her hair back.

Jenna's eyes brightened. "You are?"

"I am. Thank you for the company. I hope you have a safe trip to Europe."

As Elena made her way towards the exit of the airport, Jenna yelled after her: "Go get him, Elena!"

DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE

The gravel crunched underneath her feat as Elena ran up towards the Boarding House, her heart drumming in her chest at the prospect of seeing Damon again. She was wracked with nerves about how he would react. Would he welcome her back with open arms? Would he kiss her and sweep her off her feet? Or would he growl at her like he always did and send her off? Reaching into her inner pocket with shaking hands, she fished out the key to the front door, opening it.

"Damon?" she immediately called out once she was inside. "Damon, are you here?"

She ran from the living room to the kitchen, but he was nowhere to be seen. Finally, she barrelled up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Her heart sank in her chest as she realised both Damon's and Lorenzo's room were empty.

They had left.

Pouting, she went downstairs again and sank down on the couch. Well, Damon did say he wanted to spend time with Lorenzo today. They had probably gone off somewhere together.

Once again, she was struck by the sadness of knowing that Damon hadn't come after her. Maybe she had made a mistake by coming back here. Maybe she should just go back to the airport and forget about this stupid plan. This was obviously a love story that didn't have a happy ending. She should get out of here, before she made a giant fool of herself.

Just as she was getting up from the couch, the front door opened, freezing her to the spot.

"But Daddy! I know that it was busy there, but there were so many planes that didn't fly! Elena is still here, I know it! We have to look harder. We have to go back!" Lorenzo screamed at his father, obviously throwing a tantrum.

"We tried, Lorenzo," Damon replied in a tired voice. "I looked everywhere. She wasn't there."

Elena saw how Lorenzo was pulling on Damon's hand, trying to get him to move back into the direction of the front door. "Yes, she is there! I don't want her to go! I want to go back! I WANT TO GO BACK!"

Tears pricked Elena's eyes as she watched the little boy fight his father to get to her. So they had indeed looked for her? They were at the airport? Damon had wanted her to come back?

"Lorenzo, please!" Damon pleaded with his son.

Elena couldn't stand to watch it any longer and cleared her throat, letting both of the Salvatore's know that she hadn't left, but was standing in their living room instead. Two dark heads whipped around towards the sound that she had made. Elena held her breath for their reactions.

"ELENAAAA!" Lorenzo yelled out in happiness. He let go of his father's hand instantly, running as fast as his little legs could carry him, before finally throwing his small body against her. His arms reached around her legs, clinging to her for dear life.

"You're back!" he stated, before looking up at her with a smile on his face. His cheeks were still red from the tantrum he had thrown moments ago. Hot tracks were running down them and his blue eyes were glistening with tears. The sight broke Elena's heart, knowing that she was the cause for that.

Elena reached down to stroke the dark tresses of his hair. "I am," she told him.

"Are you staying? I want you to stay!"

Salvatore Junior was obviously more vocal about what he wanted than his father, who was still standing frozen to the spot. His eyes revealed nothing, as usual, so Elena didn't really know how to answer Lorenzo. Was she staying? It was all up to his father.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Damon cleared his throat.

"Lorenzo, I want you to go upstairs. Now."

The tone of his voice made Elena want to run towards the front door. He seemed…intense, not breaking eye contact with her for a moment as he addressed his son. Was he mad?

"But Daddy, Elena is here!" Lorenzo whined, not budging.

"Lorenzo, do as I tell you. Go upstairs and play with your toys. Stay there until I come and get you."

Elena swallowed hard as Damon's heated gaze remained locked onto hers, making her insides quiver and her knees almost buckle.

"Now, Lorenzo!"

Lorenzo released Elena reluctantly and shot his father a mad glare, before stomping all the way up the stairs. Elena flinched as she heard the younger Salvatore male slam his door shut with a bang. As soon as they had both heard the loud noise, Damon moved himself into action. He walked over towards her with big strides, making Elena want to back up, which she did. Her back collided with the mantelpiece behind her as Damon zoned in on her.

He shot his hand out and reached for her waist, sliding his arm around her and pulling her up against him roughly. Before Elena even had a chance to react, Damon crashed his lips into hers, kissing her hungrily.

The kiss was explosive, as if they were pouring all of their pent up feelings and frustrations over their separation into it. Damon's tongue dominated Elena's, swirling into her mouth in desperation. One of his hands reached up underneath her upper leg, causing her to automatically lift it and wrap it around his waist. A soft moan escaped her lips as the move made her come in contact with his erection, hidden behind the material of his pants.

After what seemed like hours, they finally released each other to come up for air.

"Damn," Damon breathed, running a hand through his hair.

Elena smiled up at him. 'Damn' was right! She raised her hand to touch his face, making sure to keep his gaze locked onto hers for what she was about to say.

"I came back for you," she whispered. "I came back, because there was something that I haven't told you yet; something you need to hear before I get on that plane to Los Angeles."

This was it, the moment of truth. She took a deep breath, before continuing. "When we saw each other for the first time only 48 hours ago, I thought you were the crankiest and most annoying man that I had ever met. You barked at me, made fun of me and ordered me around. Damon Salvatore, you can be a downright pain in the ass! But… I'm in love with you. I'm in love with everything you are. You are a wonderful father to that angry little boy upstairs, you are generous to a stranger you find in your bed and I just… I love you. Look, I know you said that you aren't relationship material and yes, this thing between us is probably complicated as hell with you living in Virginia and me living in California. Not to mention that we are both damaged goods. But I think that we could be great together, if you could give us a chance. And…"

"Would you shut up for a second so I can get my two cents in?" Damon interrupted her.

Elena's mouth snapped shut, and she paled a bit at the realisation that she had rambled her way through her love confession. She held her breath with what Damon would say.

"This is probably a mistake," he started.

Elena's face fell immediately with his words. Damn, was he sending her away after all this?

"You're right, I'm a dick. And you're probably better off without me. But when you left earlier, when I let you walk out that door, I realised that it was too late to keep you out. For some reason, you've managed to get under both mine and my son's skin. During a time that is very difficult for me, which is why I wanted you gone initially, you managed to make me feel something other than sadness. You see, three years ago on Christmas Day, my wife died because a drunk driver slammed into her car. She was killed instantly and I haven't wanted anything to do with this time of year ever since. I work too much, I sleep around too much and I make my son live with my late wife's parents a lot of the time because I just can't deal with things sometimes. I'm not an easy man to be around, Elena. So I'm giving you your last out here. If this is too much for you… if you want to go, just go."

"What if I don't want to go?" Elena whispered, tears pricking her eyes with his speech. "What if I want to be with you? I think that I just stated that I know how difficult and frustrating you can be, and yet I still love that and everything else about you. I need to know… What do you feel for me, Damon? I want to hear you say it, I need it."

Damon turned away from her, running his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Elena smiled with the knowledge that she had just discovered a first habit of his. He paced a bit, before eyeing her seriously again.

"I think I fell in love with you from the moment I became aware of the fact that you had driven my Camaro, and yet my baby was spotless."

Elena cracked up with his words. "Seriously, Damon! Not the Camaro again!"

Damon scowled at her.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I took my baby out and drove her to the airport to make a statement to you!"

"No!" Elena gasped. "You took the Camaro out in this weather? My god, she must have gotten so dirty!"

"She did! Which is my point exactly, Elena. My Camaro is sacred; no woman is ever allowed near her. And yet I drove the car towards the airport to come and pick you up in it. Now, what does that tell you?" Damon smirked.

A huge grin erupted on Elena's face, and she hurled herself into Damon's arms.

"You love me!" she squealed.

Damon squeezed her tight against his chest, burying his nose in her hair.

"I do," he whispered.

"Daddy?" a small voice interrupted them. Lorenzo was standing right behind them, staring at them with big eyes. His bottom lip trembled a bit. "Can I come back downstairs again? I'll listen to you better next time."

Both Damon and Elena looked up, not letting go of each other.

"Yes, you can come back down. I'm sorry I was so hard on you, I just needed to talk to Elena first," Damon told his son.

Lorenzo's face erupted into a huge grin, and he came running towards them, wrapping his arms around them both.

"So is Elena staying?" he repeated his earlier question.

Damon looked from his son to Elena and back again.

"Yeah, she's staying…."

A/N: So this is it, the end of the line. But not before I give you a nice, sexy little epilogue. I promised Miss Mollie that I would ;) Thank you all for taking this journey with me, and for leaving me with your thoughts. I very much appreciate it. Now be nice to me some more and click that little button below :)

Twitter: plainoldSandra