Chapter 7 "It you and us now Daddy"

Two more weeks had gone by and still no news of Elena. Damon was more desperate than ever and he became alarmed that the kids were less and less asking for their mother. William and Sophia had been talking less and less about their mother, although Damon could see in their eyes that they missed her. He knew that Sophia expectedly eyed the door every now and then. And William who would rush in every time the phone would ring. And it would be a lie if Damon said that he did not share the same hope as his children.

He prayed, wished that Elena would come back. Every morning he would wake up hoping she would be there next to him, in their bed. He dreamed of her every night, and thought of her every day… He longed to hold her close to his heart, to feel her warm body at night close to his. He missed seeing his wife taking care of their kids.
And every morning he would wake up with a sinking heart, realizing she was gone…And as the days passed by, this nagging thought would come back every time in his mind…

She would not be home anytime soon.

Damon was late. He had an important business meeting and had to ask Caroline to pick the kids from school. That was the first time he was not the one to do it since Elena had left. And Damon was worried. He knew that the departure of their mother had immensely marked the kids and he did not know how right he was to worry.

In the meantime at home

"Why is daddy still not here?" asked a pouting Sophia. She was disappointed to see that her dad was not the one outside the school when the bell had ring. Her disappointment had quickly turned into a tearful anguish at the thought that her dad might have left too.

William had frowned a bit but seeing his sister crying, he held back his own tears and comforted her as much as he could. He was scared too but he had tried so hard not to break down.

The scene had broken Caroline's heart and though she had tried hard to reassure them, both kept asking for their dad.

"He is going to be home soon sweetie. I promise you, he is going to be here soon. Now eat your cookies missy while I go check on your big brother." Caroline winked at Sophie and left the kitchen, hoping that the little girl would relax and stop worrying.

"Here you are William. Come on, you need to eat something." Caroline said, finding the little boy sitting alone on the stairs.
"Is mommy coming back auntie Caroline?"

Caroline stared blankly at the little blue eyed boy in front of her. She saw all the pure innocence of his young age and the sadness and fear in his eyes as he uttered that question. How she wished she could answer him.

"I don't know buddy. But she loves you, you know that right?" she said while sitting by M William's side.

"I don't think she loves me, or Sophia or Daddy. Because if she did, she would not have left. If love, you don't leave."

"William, you are still a little kid and there are things in life you still cannot understand yet. Even I sometimes don't understand some things people do. But Elena loves you. She left because she was unhappy and she wanted to be happy for you all."

"No Auntie Caroline. It's not true. Daddy is unhappy too. He is always sad and he cries often when he thinks we're not watching. He is unhappy but he stayed. But my mother left me because she did not love us. I don't want her back."
Caroline looked at the little boy and she did not know what to say. William was as stubborn as his father and the tone of the kid had finality in it she knew it was no use to argue with him for the moment. And after all, even if she did spoke, she had no idea what to say.

It was much later that night when Damon's car appeared. Caroline had failed at convincing the kids to go to sleep. They wanted their dad to tuck them in.

"Hey you guys. What are you doing still up on a school night?" Damon tried to sound severe but failed epically. How could he be angry or even feigned it when deep down, he was hoping his kids would still be awake so he could hug them goodnight?
Sophia hugged him tightly and so did William.

"Okay what about you guys go up while I say goodbye to your aunt Caroline?"

William just nodded and went upstairs while Sophia rushed to kiss Caroline before rushing off.

"Thank you Caroline. I hope everything went smoothly."

"Damon, Elena is my best friend but I like you. I know you love your kids and I know you love her too but you cannot keep going on like that. Living every day, hoping she will come back. It is breaking you and it is breaking your kids. William is becoming more and more bitter and resentful and he told me he did not want his mother back anymore because he thinks she does not love him. And Sophia? She threw a heart-breaking when she saw me at her school gate because she thought you had left too!"

Damon was taken aback at what Caroline told him. Regret filled his heart and Caroline saw his face and knew he was feeling guilty. And that was enough! "Stop it Damon! STOP! You do not have to feel guilty for this! You may have contributed to your marriage falling apart but her leaving? It was her choice not yours. And I have watched you for the past three weeks struggling between office, meetings, the house, and the kids. You might not be perfect but you are still here. And I think it is high time you get your life back on track. You are a good father so stop feeling like you are failing them. When Elena comes back, you both will sort out whatever you need to sort." Caroline knew she was being blunt but she also knew that Damon needed to be shaken.

"And if she doesn't come back?" Damon murmured, looking up, his eyes full of despair.

"Then you will move on and be a great father to your kids who absolutely adore you." Caroline said and left.

Damon went upstairs to find Sophia and William already in bed. Sophia was fighting hard so as not to fall asleep while William was already halfway there, holding his sister's hands. Damon smiled at this image and quickly took a picture with his phone.

"Okay Princess, go to sleep now. I love you", he whispered to Sophia. She leaned in and hugged him gently before closing her eyes but not before uttering "Please do not leave too Daddy".
Damon felt his heart ache and he gently kissed his daughter's forehead, "I promise I ain't going anywhere."

He bent to kissed William's forehead too, thinking the boy was already asleep. He heard William whispered in his sleep, "It's just and us now daddy."

Damon spent the night, unable to sleep. Caroline's words were echoing in his mind and Sophie's fear was on his mind. He was breaking, it pained him but he knew that Caroline was right. He could not go on like this and the kids should not have to go through that.
He looked at the two innocent, angelic figures deeply asleep beside him and that was it. He knew it was time to stop walking on eggshells and to pretend that Elena was going to walk in anytime. She was not and that was it. He was not going to let himself and the kids be tortured like that.

"It's just and us now daddy…" William's words echoing his head, Damon felt sleep come over him.

A/N :_There you go with Chapter 7. I hope you people like the story so far. I am trying to make it as genuine as possible.
Feel free to share your ideas and tell me how you found it. It's always great help to read your reviews