Chapter 9: Table For Three
PRESENT DAY
Damon arrives back at the apartment just after midday to find Stefan and Elena curled up on the couch together in the thralls of a passionate kiss.
"Ahem," Damon calls closing the door behind him.
Stefan breaks the kiss and peers over at Damon his eyes wide. "Damon! Um...I didn't realise you were back."
"I wasn't until a few seconds ago."
"Right," Stefan laughs awkwardly and Elena remains seated on the sofa, looking at Damon from over her shoulder. Her cheeks are slightly rosy with embarrassment, but there's a hint of an amused smile on her face.
Boy, he still needs more time to get used to this. Damon thought the research he did about Elena would be enough to permanently separate her from Katherine in his mind, but yet again, his first instinct upon seeing his handsome little brother with his tongue down her throat evoked a sense of rage and jealousy within him.
She's not Katherine. She's not Katherine. She. Is. Not. Katherine. Damon has to remind himself of this over and over and assumes he will until Stefan and Elena leave for the city.
"So I see you two have been having fun in my absence," Damon says, stepping into the apartment and dumping his bag in his bedroom.
"Very funny, Damon," Stefan snipes. "Actually if you haven't already noticed we tidied up your mess."
Damon hadn't noticed until now that the apartment is the tidiest it's been in months.
"Well, I'm a big boy now, Stefan. I'm pretty sure I could've tidied my own mess," Damon teases.
Stefan scoffs.
"You ate already?"
Damon nods. "Had breakfast at the motel. Actually, I was thinking that-"
The sound of a ringing cell coming from Damon's bedroom interrupts him and he practically sprints to his bedroom to answer it. Just as always, he doesn't know what he was expecting. Just as Katherine being the one on his doorstep was an unrealistic expectation, so is expecting her to be the one that's calling. Even still, when Damon sees Caroline's name he feels a stab of bitter disappointment.
He considers ignoring her call, but decides against it. He knows Caroline well enough to know that she only calls for a specific reason and she's stubborn enough that she will continue to ring until Damon answers so she can get what she needs.
"Hey."
"Hey? Hey!?" Caroline practically bellows down the phone. "
"Yeah...hey," Damon says puzzled.
"I've been calling you since yesterday and you only just pick up?"
Damon frowns. He's had his phone by his side for the last 24 hours and he can't recall receiving a single call from Caroline.
"No, you haven't. I've been by my phone. Haven't had a call from you."
"Well, I've been calling," Caroline insists.
Damon decides it's not worth arguing with her so simply asks what she wants.
"What do I want? The Lieutenant told me you're off until further notice with some kind of family emergency. I've been going out of my mind wondering what might have happened."
Damon forgets that as professional as his relationship is with Caroline, she's a friend too. He's been so stuck in his own head that he hadn't even considered that Caroline might've been worried about him.
"God, Caroline...I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't think."
"You're damn right you didn't think. So are you okay? Is Stefan okay?"
Caroline knows him well enough to know that a family emergency could only relate to Stefan, since he's his only family. But what can he possibly say is wrong with Stefan that would require him to have to take unexpected time off work? Caroline may know that Stefan is Damon's only family, but she also knows that he would never take time off work unless it was absolutely necessary and a violent bug - which is the first excuse Damon thinks of - just wouldn't be a valid enough. Suddenly he regrets his ill advised decision to tell the Lieutenant he had a family emergency. But what else could he have said?
"I'm fine, Caroline and so is Stefan."
Damon hears Caroline sigh down the receiver with relief. "What's wrong then?"
"I'm sorry, Caroline, but I can't tell you." It's a poor thing to say, but it's the only thing to say. Any excuse he could think of just wouldn't cut it with Caroline, so the truth will have to do. And the truth is, he can't tell her or at least, he thinks he can't.
"What? What do you mean you can't tell me?"
"What I mean is that it's personal and I'm not obligated to tell you anything."
Caroline scoffs in utter dismay. "Are you serious? Because I can't tell if you're being serious right now."
There's a hint of hurt in Caroline's voice and Damon feels rotten for what he's about to say. "I'm being deadly serious. Caroline, my private life is my business, not yours. You're just my partner, nothing more."
"Just your partner, huh?"
"Yes. So for once in your life would you just get a life and keep your nose where it belongs?"
He waits for her to argue back, but she doesn't. Caroline at a loss for words, that was a first. Damn, he really must be hurting her feelings. He has to swallow the guilt of knowing that as he finishes with, "When I'm done dealing with what I'm dealing with I'll be back at work, but until then don't call, don't come over, just leave me the hell alone."
With that he hangs up on her. He stands rooted on the spot for a couple of minutes in disbelief at just how quickly his life is unraveling. He never thought he had a perfect life, mostly because there was always something missing that Damon couldn't quite put his finger on, but seeing his life fall apart before his very eyes in this way makes him realise that perhaps it was perfect. Or at least a damn sight close to it. He wished he could believe what he'd told Caroline - that after all of this is over he'll return to work, but somehow he can't see that happening. A part of him wants to pity himself for the drastic turn for the worst that his life has taken, but he can't because he knew what he was getting himself in for. The day he let Katherine Pierce into his house and his heart, he knew he was risking everything - his career, his family, his reputation, his sanity, his life, his heart. It's a choice he made and one that he hasn't gone back on, one that he never will.
With a few deep breaths, Damon steps back out into the living room.
"Who was that?" Stefan asks immediately.
"Oh, just work."
"I told you he works like a dog," Stefan says to Elena.
"Not tonight," Damon states, sensing a tone of sadness in Stefan's voice that is a result of endless nights he was abandoned by Damon because of work. "We're going out for dinner."
"Really?" Stefan asks his bushy eyebrows arched in surprise.
"Really. Elena, do you like Italian?"
"I love it," Elena beams at Damon.
"Great. I'll book us a table for three then. Say, 7 o'clock?"
Stefan and Elena meet each other's eyes then look back to Damon and nod in unison.
"Awesome, I'll just make the call."
With that Damon slips back off into his bedroom and after making a quick call to Gino's, he flops back onto his bed. He feels an ache in the bottom of his back as a result of the hard mattress he slept on last night at the motel and groans lightly as he squirms. Katherine gives the best massages. The thought pops into Damon's head before he even has the chance to stop it.
Tense is a trait that Damon was born with and Katherine was always great at easing it in him. Her firm and expert hands were just one of the ways she did that after a long stressful day at work. He wishes he could stop thinking of her all the time, but she was so central to his daily life that every minuscule thing he sees or does somehow leads him to thoughts of Katherine. Even driving back from the motel, he stopped off at the gas station and bought her a pack of Cheetos. It was only when he got back into the car that he remembered she was gone and safe to say, those Cheetos are now flattened to the ground on the highway.
Granted, Damon hasn't had a proper night's sleep since Katherine left and his late nights at work and early morning get ups mean he's always been accustomed to running on 5 hours sleep maximum, but he's never felt this exhausted. Although he doesn't plan to, he drifts off to sleep still fully clothed and lying atop the covers of his bed.
Stefan woke Damon after what felt to be 10 minutes rest, although in reality it was closer to an hour and despite Damon's insistence that they should just catch the tube, Stefan insisted it'd be easy to drive and so Damon relented and took his car. The half an hour journey was filled with pleasant small talk and there seemed to be an air of excitement present in Stefan and Elena. Getting dolled up and whisked off to a restaurant often seems to have that affect on people. Although none of them have gone all out Stefan and Damon are wearing a shirt paired with jeans and their best shoes, whilst Elena is in a rather adorable lacy white knee length dress and beige ankle boots. The more time Damon spends around Elena the more he realises Elena is nothing like Katherine. She wouldn't be seen dead in an outfit like that. Katherine's style is so much more edgier. Dark. Dangerous. Skin tight black jeans, leather, tank tops with an adequate amount of cleavage on show, now that was Katherine's style. Effortless yet sexy and alluring.
When they arrive at the restaurant the three of them are shown immediately to their table. Damon immediately notices the table is for four and his mind goes to Katherine, when he only just managed to stop thinking about her. Then again, he would rather not have to experience a dinner in which Elena and Katherine were sat across from each other. If he freaked out at the striking resemblance how would they react?
With the restaurant bustling with the hum of conversation, the waiter informs them it'll be at least a 40 minute wait for their food. Damon orders a beer and forces himself to relax. There's a niggling paranoia in the back of his mind that someone from work might spot him, but the likelihood of that is slim to none since the only place his co-workers - a bunch of extremely hard workers, all with young families - will be at 7pm on a Friday night is curled up on the couch or in bed. The only one at risk of walking in here is Caroline, but given the last conversation they had Damon has a feeling she might be curled up on the couch too, burying herself in a tub of Ben and Jerry's (Caroline's a lot more sensitive than she lets on to anyone).
"What time are you leaving tomorrow?"
"Oh, trying to get rid of us already, are you?" Stefan teases. "Probably 9ish. Will you be there to wave us off or do you have work?"
The mention of work reminds Damon of the lies that are just piling up around him. He once considered himself an honest man built upon integrity, but that time has since passed.
"Not until later," he lies.
Stefan nods.
Part of Damon is eager to push Stefan and Elena out of the door so he can continue with his search for Katherine, but another part of him is still not ready to say goodbye to his brother. The time they spend apart is never easy and even though Damon has gotten used to it, it doesn't mean he misses him any less.
"What did you say you're doing after your tour of New York?" Damon asks scratching his head.
"We're going to Colorado to visit my parents."
"Oh, that's right. And it'll be the first time they're meeting Stefan?"
Elena glances over at Stefan a smile on her lips before answering, "Yeah. But they know I'm bringing him along."
"So they're clued in more than I was?"
Elena laughs lightly, "Yeah."
"Lucky them."
"Hey, don't pretend it wasn't the best surprise of your life," Stefan says.
"Hmm, I dunno, that BMX I got for Christmas that one year has probably got that beat."
Elena giggles and Stefan shakes his head and scowls at Damon playfully. Damon might not see it, but Stefan misses his big brother every bit as much as Damon misses him. Although he's built a great circle of friends around himself at college and he has Elena - who despite it still being early days he adores - nothing can replace the comfort and familiarity of being with his brother. Damon seems to think Stefan has outgrown him, but he couldn't be more wrong. Damon's been Stefan's best friend since the day Stefan was born and in Stefan's eyes that will never change.
"Elena, how do you think your parents will like my little brother over here?" Damon asks, grabbing Stefan's shoulder and squeezing it.
"I think they're going to love him. How could anyone not?"
Her compliment takes Stefan off-guard and he turns to her, his mouth slightly agape in awe. For a moment Damon seems to fade from their world, as they lock eyes and Stefan takes her hand in his and lifts it up to his lips. Since Damon has never seen Stefan with a girlfriend before, it should be weird to see PDA's like that, but it's not. Maybe it was at first given her resemblance to Katherine, but there's something so natural about seeing them together that it almost feels that Damon couldn't imagine seeing Stefan without her now.
When the couple manage to tear their eyes away from each other Elena excuses herself to use the bathroom. Stefan's eyes trail her until she disappears out of sight and Damon realises this is the first time he's been alone with Stefan since he arrived. Stefan seems to realise this too as he quickly blurts out, "So what do you think?"
"About Elena?"
"No, about the wallpaper. Of course about Elena," Stefan replies sarcastically.
"I think she's great," Damon says honestly. "She's a really lovely girl. Why didn't you tell me about her before?"
"Because it was early days and I just wanted to see how it went. But I've...I've never felt this way before, Damon."
Damon listens intently and nods. He and Stefan have always confided in each other in the past, but weirdly never about girls.
"At this rate you'll be getting down on one knee," Damon laughs.
Stefan holds his hands up as he says, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
"So you really like her, huh?" Damon says, sensing Stefan is seeking a serious conversation on the subject.
"Yeah, I really do. I've dated before but this is...it's different. I can't explain it but I...I have a good feeling about her, Damon. A really good feeling."
Elena re-enters and takes her seat, knowing that Damon and Stefan were clearly just talking about her. She doesn't seem to mind and reaches for Stefan's hand under the table. Damon barely knows Elena, but he can clearly see that Stefan's feelings are reciprocated - she adores him.
Draining the last of his pint, Damon looks over at Stefan and Elena and asks if either of them want a top up before grabbing the attention of the waiter.
"What will you get up to in Colorado then? Is there much to do?"
Damon hopes his question doesn't come across quite as patronising as it sounds. Luckily for him, Elena receives the question in the way it was intended and politely responds with, "Grand Lake is a pretty small place, so there isn't much to do, but honestly, after the hustle and bustle of New York, I'm kind of looking forward to escape from the hustle and bustle."
Damon is a city man through and through, but he can appreciate and understand why Elena feels that way since he can sense that she's clearly not a city girl. He can imagine her perched on a park bench in the summer, with a book on her lap, picking from a tub of grapes beside her. Damon's aware it's a rather vivid and specific image to see and wonders if that is really who Elena is or if it's merely how she's portraying herself. Surely there has to be more to her than just head cheerleader, perfect daughter, sweet girlfriend and A star student. Everything about her just seems so...cliche. Suddenly, Damon's curiosity about her is stirred once again. Unfortunately, before he can ask anymore questions their meals are brought over and silence descends over the three of them as they hungrily tuck in.
With their bellies full and the bill paid, Damon, Stefan and Elena waddle back to Damon's SUV, reviewing the meals they had and the service they recieved. The meal did exactly what Damon wanted and allowed him to spend quality time with his brother and his new girlfriend. Damon has learned more about Elena such as the fact that her childhood best friend's name is Bonnie, she has a passion for writing in her spare time and her favourite food is tacos. Yet there is still a bubble of mystery surrounding her. Damon tries not to ponder on it too much, but it's a bubble he's determined to pop, though he's not quite sure how yet. That's a problem for tomorrow.
Once in the car, Damon wastes no time in exiting the parking lot, a little speedier than he should, eager to get home and have a few more beers so as to unwind. Katherine is still plaguing him and maybe alcohol will keep her at bay.
"What's this crap?" Stefan exclaims gesturing at the radio.
"What? The music?" Damon questions glancing over at Stefan.
"Music is that what you call it?"
"It's techno, Stefan," Elena offers from over his shoulder, her tone somewhat teasing.
"It's crap is what it is."
Damon smiles in amusement and Stefan searches through the radio stations. When all it picks up is static he reaches for the glove box.
"Maybe I'll find something decent in here, I'm pretty sure I left some CD's and-"
Before Damon has time to react Stefan has the glove box open and a photograph flutters out landing face down on his lap. The world seems to descend in slow motion and Damon is powerless to do anything, as Stefan flips the photograph over. Damon's vision begins to blur at the edges, the couple of beers he had at the restaurant not helping and he struggles to catch his breath. Stefan just looks down at the photograph, examining the faces that stare back at him. He knows what he sees yet he's unable to comprehend what it is that he's actually looking at.
"Stefan..." Damon begins, although he cannot find the words to finish that sentence.
"Wh-what is this?" Stefan stammers, holding the photo up to Damon.
Swerving off the side of the road and onto the grass, Damon slams the breaks on sharply causing them all to violently jolt forward.
"What's going on?" Elena inquires anxiously leaning over the passenger seat to peer at Stefan.
Damon stares at the photo intently. A young girl is sat on Damon's lap, his one hand wrapped about her waist, the other tickling her ribs, his face nestled in over her shoulder, in the crook of her neck, hysterical giggles escaping both of them. Although the young girl's head is bent down the eyes, the features, the hair...it's undeniably Katherine. Or rather through Stefan's eyes, it's undeniably Elena...
When Damon dares to look up at Stefan, he finds intensely green eyes filled with confusion, anxiety, dread, fury and betrayal staring back at him. Damon feels as though his heart has shriveled in his chest and for the third time in less than a week, he feels as though his world has toppled from it's axis and violently plummeting through infinity.
