Longest Chapter yet!

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Elena's stomach rolled as Damon jumped into the truck and shut the door, before turning to look at her.

"Buckled in?" he asked, his hand falling to the stick shift between them.

She nodded, and he threw the vehicle into first gear, "Good, because we have to cut across the pasture, and it can get a little bumpy."

"Okay."

A little bumpy was an understatement, she soon realized, as they crossed through the gate, Damon shutting it behind them, and took off across the open field.

There were dips and crevices every few feet so the tires were constantly uneven and threw her body every which way.

Damon laughed as she grabbed the handle above her head to steady herself, "Do I need to slow down?"

She shot him a look, "It probably wouldn't hurt! Just because you wanted to kill yourself today doesn't mean that I do."

He grinned, "You think this is bad?"

She didn't like the look he gave her and a second later he shifted the gears again, and the truck picked up speed.

Elena let out a scream as the thing practically became a roller coaster when they went down a hill, and she bounced so high her head nearly hit the roof.

"Slow down, you maniac!" she yelled, but Damon only laughed as she held on tighter to the handle.

Luckily, they didn't have much further to go and few moments later Damon pulled the truck to a stop near the fence that ran the property.

Elena threw the door open the second they were parked and jumped out, her nerves not calming until her feet were on solid ground.

She glared at Damon as he came around to her side of the truck, "You're looking a little pale there, darlin."

"I wonder why," she snapped, taking a deep breath, "I think I'm going to walk back when we're finished."

"Nah, you wouldn't make it before dark," he warned, "And you'd be liable to get lost."

"Lost is better than riding in that death trap again," she pointed out, and he shook his head bemusedly.

"You're even more dramatic than my four year old, but she loves these rides."

His smile faded suddenly, as if an unpleasant thought crossed his mind.

He cleared his throat, "Anyway...we should probably get started on the fence here."

Elena nodded, and let the subject drop instead of firing a retort, knowing it was probably something he'd rather not think about.

Damon eyed the fence, which had a two posts that were pulled up and were tilted down so that the wire was barely a few inches off the ground.

He picked up a few strands of the loose barbed wire, before turning to let down the tailgate on the truck.

"It's nothing too bad," he told her, "Cows probably just trampled over it."

She stared at the metal, "Does that not hurt them?"

Damon shrugged, "It's meant to keep them away from the fence. Usually works, but sometimes you get a stubborn few that believe the grass is greener on the other side."

"But if the fence is down, does that mean the cows got out?"

"Possibly," Damon admitted, "Though we passed most of em' on the way over, and I doubt too many would tried walking through the wire there."

His eyes did a quick scan of the ground, "No blood, which is good. We'll have to do a round up tomorrow and see if anything's missing. It'll be too late by the time we get back to the house. But it's doubtful too many got out."

Elena looked up at the afternoon sun and nodded, "Okay, then what can I do?"

Damon jumped up into the back of the truck and opened the large metal tool bed, "Here."

He tossed her a pair of gloves, "Put these on, first of all. Last thing we need is to mess up those delicate hands of yours."

She rolled her eyes, "They aren't delicate."

He didn't comment as he looked through the box for something else, while she pulled the gloves on.

When he found what he needed, which turned out to be a hammer and some of the thickest nails she'd ever seen, he jumped down.

He'd also grabbed a pair of gloves for himself, a shovel, and a coil of new barbed wire.

He motioned to the fence, and she followed, "Okay, here's what we're doing."

Sitting the supplies down, he demonstrated his words, "We'll pull the post upright, first, and reset them so they won't fall over. Then we'll be putting the new stuff here. I'll need you to hold the post upright. It won't be too hard, but we gotta keep it straight. I'll do a patch up with the bottom wire, and we'll nail down the rest."

Elena nodded.

It didn't sound too bad.

Two hours, three snapped wires, a sliced thumb, and a dry throat later, she was regretting ever having had that thought.

But at least the fence was fixed.

"Not bad," Damon praised, having finished putting all the stuff back in the truck, "You earned this."

He'd returned with a cold beer and was holding it out to her.

Elena, who was sitting on the tailgate, sweating like crazy, accepted it gratefully.

"Did you magically conjure these?" she asked, as he pulled himself up on the tailgate next to her with his own bottle.

"I wish," he chuckled, "But no. There's a cooler in the backseat."

She took a drink and sighed as the coldness wet her throat, "Not that I'm complaining, but do you always drive around with a cooler of alcohol? That is illegal, you know?"

He looked over at her, "Don't tell me you're one of those do gooders who never break the law."

She rolled her eyes, taking another drink, "Maybe, but it's a valid question."

He smirked, "No. I don't drive everywhere with alcohol. This truck just happens to hardly ever leave Belle Tara. It's a working vehicle, so we try to keep it stocked, if we're gonna be out on a hot day."

"Water," Elena pointed out, "People drink water on hot days."

"Thought you weren't complaining," he teased.

She smiled, "I'm not. And thanks, anyway, for the drink."

Damon nodded, "Like I said, you earned it."

She laughed, lifting her hand, "You're just saying that because you cut me."

"I didn't cut you," he argued, "The wire did. Which is why I told you to wear the gloves."

"They were too big," she protested, "I couldn't get a grip on the nail."

Damon took her hand and inspected the cut that a piece of the barbed wire had made, "Eh, it's just a scratch. And it was the new wire, so no worries about tinnitus, though I'd assume you're up to date on your shots."

"Small comforts," she sighed, taking her hand back, "But at least it's done."

Damon finished his beer and settled back on his arms, "It's a good feeling, huh?"

She nodded, leaning back as well, "The sense of accomplishment, yes. The sweat and sunburn however…"

He laughed, "You'll have to get used to that part, darlin. Comes with the territory."

"Well at least I'll have a nice tan when I go back to school in the fall."

Damon looked over at her, "Caroline said you were some kind of smarty pants."

"Smarty pants?" she giggled.

"Hey, I have a toddler," he defended, "Sue me."

Elena chuckled, "Well I wouldn't use that particular term, but yeah, I guess I'm pretty good with the school stuff."

He swept his bangs back, "You'd have to be. Pre-med right? What are you wanting to specialize in?"

"Right now I'm still trying to get my Bachelor's with the generals," she admitted, "But my ultimate goal is a doctorate in Cardiothoracic surgery."

"Heart surgeon," he actually sounded impressed, "Big plans."

She shrugged, "Anything's possible."

"I suppose so," he allowed.

When a moment of silence passed between them, she asked, "So what about you?"

He rose a brow, "What about me?"

"Any plans for the future?"

A smile crossed his lips, "School wise, no. I was lucky to even graduate, and college was never my thing. This was."

He motioned to the land around them, and Elena noticed that the sun was lowering in the sky.

"It's pretty out here," she agreed, "but it doesn't seem like a very stable profit."

Damon shook his head, "There's more to life than money, darlin."

He was probably right, but she'd been on the opposite side of the spectrum for a long time, and had no intention of going back.

"So you'll take over the ranch here?"

"Eventually," he nodded, "But it belongs to my parents as long as Dad's still up and able. I've bought the back property from him. It's just a couple acres, but I have a house set up out there, and over the years I'll just keep adding until my parents are ready to retire, and I'll own Belle Tara."

Elena played with the now empty bottle in her hands and wondered what it would be like to be so sure of your future.

To have everything figured out, and not have to stress about making the grades, or how to pay back student loans, or what would happen if she didn't get into med school.

The uncertainty terrified her.

"You zoning out on me?" Damon asked, cutting through her thoughts.

She shook her head, "No, sorry. Just thinking."

He smirked, "You'll have a lot of time to do that out here. Not as many distractions as there are in the big city, I'm sure."

Elena rolled her eyes, "Have you ever even been to New York?"

"Once," he admitted, "to pick up my daughter from a conference her mother had been invited to. I wasn't impressed."

She chuckled, "Why am I not surprise."

Then she thought about what he'd said, "You're daughter's name is Gracie, right?"

"Gracelynn," he corrected, "But everyone shortens it."

"Pretty," she offered, then looked over at him, "Caroline told me about your...situation. Must be tough."

Damon's eyes flickered over her, and his expression blanked, "We're getting through."

With that, he straightened before jumping off the tailgate and extending a hand out to her, "We should probably head back. It's getting late, and my mom takes family dinners very seriously."

Elena nodded, and even though she could have easily managed to get down on her own, she took his hand.

He helped her back to her feet before closing the tailgate.

"Try not to kill me this time," she scolded him as they got in the cab of the truck.

His smirk was the only response she got.

They made it back to the house in one piece, at least, and the ride wasn't as bad, now that she'd been expecting it, but still Elena's stomach was doing flips by the time they stopped.

"I'm never riding with you again," she decided, as they got out, and Damon winked at her, "We'll see."

Then he looked up at the porch and frowned, "Uh oh."

Elena followed his gaze, and saw Caroline, looking none too happy with an Enzo who seemed to be trying to reason with her.

Damon's brows pulled together, and he motioned her forward, "Come on."

Elena followed him, not sure they should be interrupting, but it wasn't as if she knew where the back door was.

"Everything alright?" Damon asked, as they came up the steps.

Caroline, who's hand was placed firmly on her hip, shook her head, "Fine. He was just leaving."

"Don't be like that," Enzo cut, "We need to talk and-"

"And I've said all I need to say," Caroline shot, "So you can go."

When it looked as if he were about to protest, Damon cut in, "I'd do as she says, man. Dad taught her how to shoot when she was nine and her aim isn't bad. Let her cool off."

With a nod, Enzo agreed, and Damon walked him off the porch and out to his car, which Elena now noticed was parked near the truck.

"Ugh," Caroline groaned, as they were out of direct earshot.

"Trouble?" Elena asked, concerned for her friend.
The blonde sighed, "We broke up. Or at least, I broke up with him and he's living on planet denial."

Elena frowned, "Broke up? Why? I mean, I get that things have been rocky lately, but-"

"No buts," Caroline insisted, "We're unhappy together, and there's no point. Plus he told me last night that the company he works for is relocating him to Chicago at the end of the year. How in the hell are we supposed to make that work?"

Elena shrugged, "If you really think this is best…"

"I do," Caroline nodded, "I just don't think he feels the same, but I can't help that. I'm tired of arguing all the time, and the distance is just making it harder."

She leaned her head onto Elena's shoulder, "Why are relationships so complicated?"

Elena ran a hand over her friends hair, "I don't know, Care."

They stayed that way for a minute, watching the sky change color until Enzo was gone and Damon had reappeared.

"You okay?" he asked his Caroline, in full big brother mode.

She nodded, "I am, thanks."

"He told me about the break up. If you need a minute, I can cover for you at dinner?"

"No, thanks, but I'll be okay," she insisted.

Damon nodded, "Well, alright then. In that case we should head in before we're hunted down."

"Says the one who skipped dinner last night," Caroline teased him.

He sighed, "Yeah, I guess I needed my own minute after yesterday."

Elena wondered at the flicker of emotion on his face, but it was gone just as fast as it had come, and was replaced by that signature smirk of his, "Besides, I may have missed dinner, but I had an interesting welcome home."

He looked at Elena, and she recalled her little late night dance session.

"Just out of curiosity, what song was that you were humming?" he asked, raising a brow.

Elena rolled her eyes, "It's called "None of your business" by the band "You shouldn't have been spying on me."

Damon laughed, "I'll have to look that one up. But seriously, you can hardly call it spying. It's not my fault you were too distracted to notice that you had an audience."

"Well it's not as if you announced yourself," she pointed out.

He shrugged, and Caroline motioned towards the door, "You know, if you two are finished…."

"Yeah, yeah," Damon shot, moving to open the thing, "Dinner awaits."

Elena was able to take a shower before the meal was served, and she was grateful for the chance, because she really did feel gross from the sweat.

And sore.

Probably from the sunburn on her skin, she decided.

But she knew that by tomorrow it would fade to a tan and she'd be good as new.

She hurried down the stairs after she was dressed, in pajama shorts and an old T-shirt, and thankfully it was just about time for everyone to sit down.

"There you are, sweetheart," Lily spotted her, grabbing the meatloaf she'd cooked and ushering April, who was maneuvering around her, to the mashed potatoes on the side, "Will you grab the tea there?"

Elena nodded, "Sure."

She picked up the pitcher and followed the women into the dining room.

Giuseppe had sat down already, and Silas, or Stefan, she wasn't sure, was sitting next to him, talking to Caroline who was across the table.

"Just find a seat anywhere," Lily smiled, patting Elena's shoulder as she went back towards the kitchen to grab something else.

Doing as she was told, Elena pulled out the chair next to Caroline and sat down.

"You find everything?" Caroline asked, looking over.

Elena nodded, "Oh yeah. You have enough product in that bathroom to supply a salon for months."

The twin across from them smirked, "Sounds about right."

"Oh bite me, Si," Caroline shot, and Elena made a mental note that Silas was the one with the longer hair.

"Cute PJ's."

Elena looked up to see Damon sliding into the seat on her other side, and she smiled at him, "It was the cheapest thing on the discount shelf."

He laughed, "Must suck, being a broke college kid."

"Occasionally," she admitted, "But at least the T-shirt was free."

She pulled it out for him to see the school logo on the front, but had a feeling that wasn't exactly what he was looking at after a second of staring too long.

She straightened, and turned right in her chair.

"You're a little red there, darlin," he teased.

Elena shot him a look, "Oh don't flatter yourself mister Salvatore. Remember, we did get a lot of sun today."

Damon allowed that, and Giuseppe piped in, "Speaking of, did you two get the fence fixed."

"Good as new," Damon promised, "But we'll need to round up the herd tomorrow, make sure none are missing."

Giuseppe nodded, "Alright, Stefan can go with you."

"And me!" Caroline volunteered, "I need to take Moon out. I've missed her."

Damon gave her a nod, "Okay, but we should do it early; before lunch. I don't want the horses overheating if we have to chase anything down."

"Good call," she agreed, as Lily entered the room again, Stefan behind her with silverware.

"Okay, that's everything," she announced, "We can dig in."

And after they sat down, that's what happened.

The food was delicious, of course, and Elena had a feeling she was going to gain a little weight during her stay.

But the part of her that was eating the second serving of the delicious meatloaf couldn't care less.

"This is amazing," She told Lily, who smiled.

"It's nice to have someone who appreciates it here," she teased her family.

"Hey, we appreciate your cooking," Stefan defended, "We'd just rather eat it than say it."

"Uh huh," Lily smirked, "Excuses."

Giuseppe smiled across the table at her, "You know we all love your meals."

She winked at him, "Doesn't mean it isn't nice hearing it occasionally."

Compliments rang out then, and soon everyone was laughing, trying to give out the best ones, until it was a jumbled noise of voices overlapping voices, all praising the food with words of growing ridiculousness.

Elena had to laugh along with the rest of them at the silliness of it all.

It was so easy to see why Caroline was the way that she was, and she was really starting to look forward to spending the rest of the summer with this family.

Sooo there's that lol.

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