NOTE: As of 2019, this chapter has been updated with modified or additional content. Re-reading is strongly recommended.

AN: Speedy update! Good for you all, but bad for me as I should be working on school. But I'm feeling down today so turned to writing. First, I want to thank all of you for reading and those who reviewed, you are all the reason this is still being written. It's for you guys! Second, I apologize for the length of the chapter. I just felt that this was the best place to stop. I hope it's good! It was hard to write, but I felt that this is the right direction to take my story. It's a bit heavy in the latter half of the chapter, so be warned! Hope you like it! Some surprise faces may appear ;) Enjoy!

xoxo


~*Early In the Morning, I'll Come Calling*~

The smell of coffee looms in the air as I sit at the edge of Damon's bed. As I slide on my UVA tee, Damon is finishing getting dressed. My mind has been bothering me all night about this. I can't do this anymore. I can't get close to anyone like this. Why get close to anyone, only to lose them?

"Damon," I say, not realizing that I've said anything until I see him regarding me with curiosity. "Can we talk?" I say as I turn to face him. He nods nervously, sitting at the opposite end of the bed. As he looks at me expectedly, I clear my throat.

"We need to put the brakes on," I tell him. There. It's said. It's out in the open, and how he reacts will define our friendship.

He regards me with furrowed brows. "Come again?"

Ung. Rip the band-aid off, Gilbert.

"We need to stop this thing between us."

I wait a good few moments before forcing myself to meet his gaze despite wanting to run and hide because it's not like I'm 25 or anything.

"Alright," he nods. "I agree."

As I blink probably more times than someone with something in their eye, I frown in confusion. "You do?"

Damon nods. "Scout's honor."

I was ready with a thesis over here, and now there's no disagreement? No rebuttal? Am I crazy or is this way too damn simple?

"No hard feelings." I say aloud, confirming that our earlier promise remains.

"No hard feelings," he repeats back to me with a smirk.

As we stand in silence, I don't know what to do, or say. We've just ended an agreement that allowed us to have sex as friends. How does one act after this?

As I contemplate giving him a hug, Damon extends his hand outward, and I nod, smiling lightly as I take his hand.

"Nice doing business with you," Damon smirks, and I immediately feel the uncomfortable vibe dissolve.

"You, too," I smile.

"Elena, breakfast!"

As my mom's voice calls from the hall, Damon and I compose ourselves and make our way out to the kitchen.


It's nearing noon as Damon and I lay out back, tanning on the patio as the sun is in the perfect spot. It's been easier knowing that we're just friends again, and as I reach for my phone, Damon's phone breaks out with a ring, and I hand it to him. His brows knit together as he glances at the screen, and I wonder who it is.

"Stefan?" he asks in a confused voice, and I immediately recognize the name as his younger brother, the one who his ex-bitch claimed to love.

As I begin to wonder why his brother would be calling him, Damon's eyes widen as his mouth pops open. I immediately sit up in my seat, curious.

"What?" He gasps, panic evident as his eyes zooming back and forth as he looks ahead. Oh, no. Something's happened. But what?

"I'll catch the next flight out," Damon says urgently, and my heart sinks at the thought of something bad happening to him. As Damon presses the 'end' button, he brings the phone down as he looks at me with wide eyes.

"What happened?" I ask desperately. Damon shakes his head in what I assume to be disbelief, and when I'm about to abandon my curiosity, he speaks softly.

"My father had a heart attack," he says quietly, and I shake my head as I clamp my hand to my mouth.

Oh, my god.

"Jesus," I breathe. "Damon, I'm so sorry,"

"I need to fly out there as soon as possible," he says suddenly as he gets up. "If he-"

"Damon," I say gently as I try with every bit of me to talk him off the ledge. He can't think like this, not for himself or his father. As Damon turns to me, I take his hand in mine. "He'll be fine," I tell him with determination. "Your dad will be fine. You'll be able to see him-"

"You don't understand," He shakes his head. "If-," He swallows as he closes his eyes, and I know what he was going to say as he continues. "Then I'll never be able to apologize,"

Wait..Apologize?

Apologize for what?

"Damon, just wait," I say, putting my palms against his shoulders as I pull out my wallet, searching for my credit card. "I'll go buy your ticket." I tell him. "You go pack, and I'll forward you the information."

As he nods, I contemplate giving him a hug, but know that he's very closed when it comes to showing his emotions as well.

Screw it. His father's in the hospital.

As I throw my arms around him, I pull him close to me. As I struggle to fight tears as I remember my own father being in the hospital, I pull away, pat Damon on the arm, and we run back to the house.


It's been ten minutes. Mom and John argued with me about who had the honor of paying for Damon's ticket, but alas, they were quicker than either myself or Damon, and that was that, cue the gratitude. I'm not dressed, so Damon has to hitch an Uber to the airport. I feel bad that it has to be this way, but I honestly think that he needs some time to process what he's walking into, and that way doesn't include any room for distraction.

In five minutes, I'm sitting with Damon on the porch, waiting for the cab. As I stare down at my hands, I try to remain strong for him. It's hard, seeing as I went through the same thing. But Damon's so confused and scared that he needs me now more than ever.

Just as I'm about to ask if he wants a hug, a horn honks, and Damon and I glance up to see the red cab waiting in my driveway. Immediately, Damon and I stand up at the same time. When he hesitates, I throw my arms around him as I squeeze all of my sympathy and support into my hug.

"It'll be okay," I tell him gently as my eyes water. "I promise,"

When I pull back, Damon looks down at me with uncertainty, but when the taxi honks again, I pat him on the arm, and as he walks down the path in a hurry, I wrap my arms around myself, feeling all of my strength leaving with him.


30 Minutes Later

As Damon walked into the lobby of Miami International, he swore at the sight of the American Airlines check-in. The line must've been nearly a yard long, he thought. However, he wheeled his suitcase behind him as he moved to stand behind an elderly man.

After he finished with check-in, Damon headed to the security, and he found himself searching for his gate. When he found it, he sat down at the only empty seat available, pulled out his phone and messaged the one person who's support meant the world to him.

Waiting for boarding. Thanks for everything. Please tell your mom and John that I appreciate them buying my ticket. Call when I land. -D

As he hit 'send', Damon thought of what Elena was doing, and he hoped that she wasn't worrying about him. However, Elena was not the 'out of sight, out of mind' type. He laughed at the thought of her bitting her nails as she waited for a message from him.

Just as Damon was about to store his phone back into his pocket, the device vibrated with notification, and Damon pulled out back out to see a new message from Stefan.

Dad's fine. He's not awake right now. They're monitoring him for now. Call when I know more.

Immediately, Damon composed a reply and watched as it sent.

Thank God. I'm waiting to board. Be there as soon as I can.

As the flight attendant called for boarding, Damon stood up with his bag and hauled his luggage over toward the line.


Miami

As Jeremy, Mom, John and I watch some re-run of Saturday Night Live, I can't fully concentrate on the show. I wonder how Damon is doing after he messaged me. As I glance at my phone clock, I notice that it's five. Damon's flight left at three, so he's about three hours to go until he lands in San Diego. Deciding that I won't be able to concentrate on the show, I excuse myself to go and fetch my Mac out as I begin working.


San Diego

Damon's heart pumped with so much worry as he entered the elevator that he feared his heart might jump out of his chest. As a group of what he assumed were young interns boarded the elevator at the last second, Damon tapped his foot against the wood floor. He needed to see his father. He needed to make sure he was alive. Stefan hadn't contacted since the airport in Miami, so that was good, right? He didn't know whether or not he should be relieved or worried about the fact. After what seemed like forever, the elevator opened it's doors and Damon stepped out, glancing around for the Emergency section, and when he saw the glowing red letters, he rushed over, his heart racing once more.

"Damon," As Damon heard his name, he turned. His eyes caught Stefan's best friend, Lexi resting in the waiting area. Stefan's daughter Brie was resting her head on the blonde's lap, and though Damon wanted to talk to her, he needed to see his dad. But as Lexi waved him over, her green eyes insisting, he made his way toward them.

"What the hell happened?" Damon asked with determination. He wasn't up for talking. He'd been through hell and back in less than eight hours, and he felt that he could fall out any moment.

"Uncle Damon," Brie smiled sleepily, and Damon waved to her. As Lexi told her that she would be back soon, Lexi slipped out from underneath her as she ushered Damon to the far corner of the room.

"How are you doing?" She asked as she crossed her arms, regarding him carefully.

"Let's see," Damon sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I just learned that my father had a heart attack, endured a five hour flight to be here, and I feel like I'm gonna pass out any second,"

"Well, sit down, then," Lexi suggested adamantly, and she and Damon sat down in the seats behind them.

"Where's Stefan?"

"He's in the room with your dad. We don't want Brie to see him like this, so I'm just out here waiting with her until Stefan waits inside with your father."

"What happened?" Damon asked, perplexed as he regarded Lexi with intense focus. Every detail mattered. He needed to know every single thing that led to this.

"Well, we were all over at your dad's place," Lexi said innocently as she looked off into the distance. "He wanted to have a BBQ, so of course, Brie wanted to go, and so we went. Everything was going great. Your dad was in a great mood, and I was inside the house with Brie getting the plates and napkins when...I don't know how it happened, or why, if there's even an answer to that kind of question." Lexi shook her head. "But, thank goodness Brie wasn't able to see the worst of it. I can't imagine what seeing that kind of thing does to a child."

"How is he?" Damon asked softly. Lexi was a good person to his brother. Even after not trying to form some semblance of a relationship with her, Damon knew that she truly cared about Stefan.

Lexi's face fell as she lowered her voice. "He's taking it hard. He and your dad have gotten a lot closer lately, so it's hitting him pretty bad."

"I should have called more."

Lexi's eyes widened as she leaned into Damon. "Don't you talk like that. You're going to be able to call him again, to talk to him again because he's not going anywhere. Your dad's strong, Damon. He's still holding on. So, don't lose hope. If not for yourself, then for him."

"Thank you," Damon nodded at Lexi as he recovered himself. "I'm gonna go back see him."

Lexi smiled wistfully. "We'll probably head out once you and Stefan catch up. It's getting late."

After saying a quick farewell to Lexi and Brie, Damon swallowed as he stood up and headed down the hall to his father's room, taking a deep breath as he knocked on the wooden door before sliding it open.

"Damon?"

Stefan stood across from him not three feet away in the small room, and he didn't have time to respond to his brother before his eyes landed on his father hooked up to all sorts of machines. His heart broke. He'd never seen his father in the hospital. He'd never had any health concerns until around the time when Damon moved out to Richmond. His father had had a history of high blood pressure and depression. But this news was out of the blue. He didn't know what to think. He was just relieved to see that his father was in good hands and still with him.

As Damon tore his gaze from his father, his eye landed back on Stefan, who was still standing as Damon returned the same blank stare. Suddenly, everything that happened between them: Damon's anger and hurt at their father's love for Stefan and antagonization of Damon; Damon moving away and never looking back at the family he had left behind; and her.

The woman who had taken from him what he never thought would ever be, and the woman who had sucked all of the life out of him when she had chosen Stefan over him.

Just like their father.

The woman who had left him.

Just like his mother.

But as Damon continued to gape at Stefan, a fireball of emotions heaved into him: Resentment, Anger, Pain.

And love.

Love because here they were at the hospital, awaiting an unforeseeable future that could leave them without a father. Love because no matter what, right now, in this moment, the one and only person on the face of this earth could understand and comfort the knot of emotions Damon felt inside of him. So, forget Katherine, forget feeling like everybody's second choice, because all Damon need this very moment was his brother. When Stefan didn't move, Damon pulled his brother in for a hug he needed desperately, as if this hug from his brother could heal their pain and fear.

"Hey, Stef," Damon choked out.

"You made it," Stefan said with a shaky voice. Damon nodded, pulling away as he swallowed any physical sign of emotion. He needed to be strong, if not for himself then for his little brother.

"How the hell did this happen?" Damon asked as he composed himself, his anger rising as he thought of what brought his father in. As Stefan's eyes darkened, Damon's heart ached.

"We were just out back by the pool, him and I," Stefan said, "Lexi was in the house with Brie. I assume you've talked to her already. Anyway, I was getting ready to cook up the steak we were going to eat, and Dad was cleaning up around the pool, and then I turned around to ask him how he wanted his steak, and he-"

"Well, I'm glad he wasn't alone when it happened," Damon sighed, overwhelmed by the plainness of the story. It was just another day. Swallowing down a dark thought, Damon looked over at his father again. "Or now."

Stefan nodded in agreement. "I'm sure he'll be pleased to know that you dropped everything and hauled ass back here. I know I am."

Damon turned to look at Stefan, whose expression was nothing but sincere gratitude, and all he could do was smile back.

"How long has it been since somebody came in?"

"A good 45 minutes," Stefan sighed in exasperation.

At the sudden silence, Damon slowly approached his father on the bed, looking as peaceful as he ever had. Every piece of medical equipment in sight cut through him as they taunted him.

"His blood pressure's really high. I don't think he's been taking his medicine."

"What?" Damon turned around to Stefan.

"A few times when I'm over there or talking to him on the phone, I ask if he's taken them, and he just tells me he will. Maybe he's just forgetful, but I don't think so."

Damon turned back to his father. Why would he not take his medicine? They wouldn't even be here if he had. The cruel twist of irony nagged at Damon as he turned back to Stefan when a knock came from the door and they turned to see a man dressed in a long white lab coat.


Miami

As I finish examining the last chapter of Damon's book, I close my laptop as I feel sleep close in on me. I'm tempted to message Damon, but decide against it as he needs time with his family at the moment. When I glance over to my side, I see the fresh picture of my father by my bedside, and tears lighten my eyes. I hope that Damon's father is around for as long as possible. I don't know what to do if he loses his father. I don't want him to suffer as I have, to adjust without one as I have. I know that the doctors at the hospital did everything they could to make my own father well up until his passing, and I hope that Damon's father receives the same treatment. Going from what he said earlier as well as other times, it's not been easy between the two of them. I can't help but wonder what tainted their relationship, and as I do, the more I hope that his father will be alright because there's nothing worse than losing someone when you didn't get the chance to fix your relationship with them. As I plug in a pair of earbuds into my iPhone, I silently drift off to the lullaby that is James Vincent McMorrow.


AN: Whew! I don't know about you guys, but that was intense to even write. Now we get more in-depth now that Elena has ended their agreement. Also, what did Damon want to apologize to his father for? Review to find out! Love to hear your thoughts! They're greatly appreciated/welcome and strongly motivate updates! :)

PS: Feel free to check out my other stories! They're all DE!

PPS: Follow me on Twitter (MdntEpiphanies) for updates and Spotify (Midnight Epiphanies) for playlists!

~Songs that were either mentioned in or inspired this chapter (full list on Spotify)~

THEME:Beneath Your Beautifulby Labrinth feat. Emeli Sandé

Issues by Julia Michaels

- Elena tells Damon that they should end their arrangement.

Coconut Tree by Shakira

- Elena sunbathes on the patio.

Umbrella (Acoustic) by The Mayries (originally by Rihanna)

- Elena attempts to comfort Damon; Elena and her parents see Damon off.

Wait by M83

- Damon arrives at the hospital; Damon and Stefan comfort each other.

Early In The Morning, I'll Come Calling by James Vincent McMorrow

- Elena drifts to sleep after going over Damon's book.