A/N: Little announcement for those of you who are unhappy with the lack of smut in this story: I have tried my hand at an M-rated Delena one-shot and it is called "Never Let Go" and you can find it on my profile. So if any of you are interested in seeing what sexytimes written by me look like, there you go ;) Other than that, I just want to thank each and every one of you who is still with me on this one. Love you guys! You're my inspiration!

P.S.: I don't own TVD, if I did, "Never Let Go" would be episode one of season four.


The ninth chapter, in which bridges are built

She was sitting on the sofa by the fireplace, pretending to concentrate on a book she was holding in her hands but unable to do so. Mainly, because Vicki was on the phone talking to Tyler in an endless flood of words, like she did, talking about the wonderful beach and the house, how she had felt like a pro spy, driving on the deserted forest road leading to the secluded bay and how dreadful it was that Damon made her eat carbs for dinner and that she hoped Ty would still love her if she returned home twice her size. Elena couldn't suppress a roll of the eyes. But the main point why she was distracted was her short talk with Damon that morning. She had gotten up with the resolve to find out more about the people she was living with. Odd as it sounded, having lain in bed all night and thinking of the previous days, especially their dinners together, this house had already started to feel more like a home than the Lockwood Mansion ever had. Or more homely, at least. Standing in the kitchen, preparing food that everyone later ate, all sitting around the table talking, smiling, joking together, hearing her kids laugh and play, the chatter of voices around the house, it all made her sad that she didn't have this at home. She had never known that Caroline was one to hum while attending to her chores, but now that she did, she loved the soft noise trailing through the wooden floorboards. She enjoyed hearing her bodyguards banter with each other, obviously old friends with a deep love and respect for each other and an easy rapport that she didn't have with anyone she knew. And she had decided to make an effort to be a part of it, at least as long as she could bear it. And even though the prospect of getting to know people scared her, because it would inevitably also mean letting them in, she couldn't help but feel that it had been the right choice. She had gotten along with Bonnie right away, the spunky girl had smiled a bright smile and agreed whole-heartedly when Elena had offered up her first name. She was chatty without being overbearing and had told Elena tidbits about her childhood, especially her fascinating but somewhat quirky grandmother, during their morning workout. She hadn't yet asked any questions herself and Elena was glad. Damon had been different. She had assumed talking about the job would have been an easy topic, safe, but the opposite was the case. It had opened a Pandora's Box of family issues and she didn't know where to start sorting them. What had struck her most, however, had been his mention of a fiancé and the fact that they had been expecting a child. She remembered their first night here, she had asked him if he had children and he had said no. She had noticed something like regret or sadness or maybe hesitation flicker across his face, but hadn't thought about it then. And now there was talk of a child. What had happened to it? And a fiancé. Hadn't he said he wasn't married? At some point? She thought to remember that, but she wasn't sure.

"I'm done!" Vicki announced gleefully, effectively pulling Elena out of her thoughts, and pointed to the phone.

Hesitantly, Elena moved over and took Vicki's spot next to the phone, waiting for it to ring. That was the arrangement. The men went to the police department at a specific time and then they called from there, so the call couldn't be traced. They got ten minutes each. Elena still felt unsettled. She had felt torn about this phone call and she hadn't reached a conclusion yet. Was she looking forward to speaking with Mason or wasn't she? How could such a simple question weigh so heavy on her?

The phone rang and Elena picked up the receiver, her heart heavier than she wanted it to be.

"Hey," she said, trying to sound as happy as possible.

"Hey, pumpkin," came his voice and she felt like hanging up again right away. "How are you?"

She swallowed down her annoyance. "I'm good. Good. Everything's fine. The place is beautiful."

"I'm glad to hear it. The kids doing okay?" he asked.

"Yes. They think we're on vacation." She smiled, picturing her children playing in the sand right now. "How are you?"

"I'm good. I miss you."

"I miss you too," she returned, automatically. So many of their interactions had become automatic, she realized. Returning his 'I love you's, leaning into his embraces, pressing her lips against his, smiling at him, that picture-perfect smile of hers. It had all become habitual. Every touch of his elicited a routine response from her. Always the same one, mechanical. She had never realized this until now, had thought their life together had become comfortable and simply followed a pattern, but really her responses to him now were only replications of what they used to be and he was simply unable to tell the difference.

"I have some bad news, sweety," he then started.

"Why? What's wrong?" she was concerned now.

"I know we said I would try and come on the weekend. But I won't be able to make it. Tyler neither. This project is just killing us."

She sighed. "The Michaelsons?" she asked. Her husband had been complaining about them for weeks.

"Yes. I swear, they should be in organized crime. It's just tough, negotiating with these people. They demand more than we could possibly give."

"I'm sorry," she said, not really knowing what else to say. Truth be told, her husband's business affairs had never really interested her.

"You're so wonderful. I'm really sorry I have to cancel like this. You're the best wife in the world." She could hear rustling on the other end of the line, something like cloth rubbing against other cloth and maybe a chair being moved and she knew that he was already getting ready to go. Their ten minutes weren't up yet, but quite honestly, what else was there to say?

"Don't worry about it," she reassured him and to her own surprise, she meant it. Him not being able to come was really less of a blow than it should be.

"Thank you honey. I knew you'd understand. I gotta go. But I'll talk to you next week."

"Sure," she replied.

The rustling stopped for a second, as if he was taking his time for the final words, before rushing out of the office. She could just picture him, already standing next to the desk, hunched over a little so as to not pull on the phone cord too much, his briefcase in hand, his elbow already extended as if that would make the process of hanging up quicker. "I love you," he said. And he sounded earnest; she had to give him that.

"Love you too," she replied. Automatic.


"What'cha doin'?" she startled him out of his thoughts, appearing out of thin air from behind him, leaning against him now, her face resting against his bicep that was bulging slightly from him crossing his arms.

"Nothing," he replied defensively. Not true of course. He'd been watching her. Had been watching her sitting on the couch, talking on the phone, looking like seven days of rain. Her fingers were fiddling with the hem of her shirt and she was staring at them while talking or rather listening. He would have thought a call from her husband would have made her happy or rather, he had wished it would. Believing she was happy in her marriage would have made his desires easier to deal with. Knowing she was happy would have discouraged him. Knowing she was unhappy only made him want to do everything in his power to change that. And he was pretty sure that wasn't a good idea.

"It's a bad idea," Bonnie now said, still pressed into his side.

"What is?" he asked, feigning ignorance. She bumped her elbow into his side with a slight scoff. Fair enough. They both knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Just don't let your life be ruined by a pretty brunette. Again," she warned.

"Careful or I'll think you're jealous," he teased with a smirk.

"Please," she said mockingly. "I know when I don't stand a chance. You two are painfully obvious."

"You're just imagining things. There's nothing going on."

"Just because you're not actually sleeping together doesn't mean you're not constantly undressing each other in your heads," she argued.

"We're not," he objected.

"You're doing it right now," she said with a laugh and he averted his eyes from their boss quickly, now looking at his friend. "And she's doing it too, believe me." She gave him a conspirative look. "And you make her smile," she said, her eyes warmer now.

"So do you," he returned. "You guys are constantly giggling about girly stuff. It's really quite annoying."

She shook her head lightly, lovingly annoyed with his opposition. "I make her smile because she's having fun. You make her smile because she's feeling happy. I'm sure you can see the difference when she looks at you."

He could. He had just hoped it wasn't true. He had also hoped it was. He was selfish like that. "It's a bad idea," he finally relented.

"Something being a bad idea has never stopped you before," Bonnie debated.

"Why do I get the feeling you're trying to talk me into this?" He frowned deeply at her.

"Because you wish I would. I'm actually warning you. I can see it in your eyes. Both of you. And it really is a bad idea." She left him standing there and walked through the living room and into the kitchen.


Elena was standing by the window of her bedroom. She had only wanted to grab a shawl but then the sight of her kids running around in the sand, squealing, had caught her attention. Suddenly she felt arms snake around her waist and a chin rest lightly on her shoulder.

"They're not coming," she heard Vicki's pouty voice and leaned into her friend's embrace.

"No, they're not," she confirmed.

"We're married to dicks," the other woman stated and Elena had to laugh.

"I thought you'd be relieved. More time to hit on our bodyguard," Elena replied mockingly.

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Vicki said releasing her friend and letting herself plump down on the bed. "But I miss Ty." Elena turned around, leaning against the window sill and looked at her friend with a smile. "It's weird, isn't it? I guess it's true what they say. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Don't you think?"

Elena looked back out the window, watching her kids. What could she say? It certainly wasn't true for her. But of course that didn't mean that it couldn't be true for someone else. "I'm glad you guys are working things out," was what she finally settled on.

"Me too," Vicki agreed, sounding slightly surprised. "Speaking of that bodyguard though, I'm going to see if he needs help… Someone to bench-press, maybe." And with a smirk she got up.

Elena had to laugh. "I thought you just said things with you and Tyler were going better," she said, half joking and half reprimanding.

"Doesn't mean I'm not allowed to look," Vicki returned with a meaningful look before leaving the room.

Elena stood there, shaking her head to herself. Something inside her rebelled at the thought of Vicki spending time with their bodyguard and 'looking' at him. It's not right, she told herself, she's married. She shouldn't be hitting on another man. For a minute she contemplated going after her, making sure that Damon wouldn't be put in an uncomfortable position. He can take care of himself, she told herself, still leaning against the window sill. He was a guy after all; he probably enjoyed the attention he was getting. Again, she felt something inside of her curl at the thought. Would he go for it, if Vicki was persistent enough? Would he be charmed by her? She's not his type, Elena told herself. She's not what he is looking for in a woman. He has never been tempted by someone he was working for, she heard him say. She shook her head. All these thoughts were getting her nowhere. Besides, she had something else to do. And with that she grabbed her shawl and went downstairs.


Her naked feet sank into the warm sand. She felt the grains squeeze through the gaps between her toes and tickle her skin when they rolled of her feet again. With a smile on her face she started walking towards the group playing in the sand.

"Hey guys, mind if I join?" she asked.

"Mommy!" came the enthusiastic response from her son. He jumped up and clutched at her skirt with sandy hands. "We're building a castle!" he explained.

"I can see that," she confirmed, smiling widely and running her hand through his hair. "It's enormous!"

"It's going to be the biggest sandcastle in the world," Jenna explained seriously.

"It sure looks like it could be," Elena agreed and let herself drop unceremoniously into the sand, throwing a quick smile into the nanny's direction, who was smiling back at her happily. "What can I do?" she asked, assessing the sandy structure.

"We have to make a moat," Jeremy stated and started digging with his tiny hands. She regarded her still passably manicured fingers. And, judging that it would soon start crackling anyways, she started digging into the beach next to her son.

Her fingers raked through the sand, warm on top but cooling quickly the deeper she dug, until she reached a somewhat soggy layer. She felt the grains cling to her fingers and get stuck under her nails, but the squeals of delight that came from her son as he pushed his hands into the sand made up for everything. "We have to make it bigger, mommy!" he insisted. "Make it bigger!" She couldn't suppress a laugh, watching him crouched down in the sand, fighting against the masses that were pouring off the sides and back into the newly dug moat.

"Mom?" she heard Jenna's voice next to her and turned to see her daughter standing at arm's length, looking at her apprehensively. "Will you help me decorate it?" The little girl looked at her with big eyes, her hands twisted nervously into the front of her dress, as if waiting for a no but dreaming of a yes. Elena's heart constricted inside her chest.

"Of course I will," she said and smiled at her daughter encouragingly.

A wide grin spread across the girl's face and she let go of the cloth she had been clinging to. She suddenly turned around and ran towards the water, only to stop a few steps later and turn to look at her mother expectantly. "Come on, we need to collect shells," she called and waved her hands in a summoning motion. Elena got up and followed her daughter quickly. When she reached her, to her own surprise, the little girl closed her small hand around hers and pulled her with her towards the water, already pointing at pink and blue seashells that had been washed ashore. They gathered shells into their skirts until Jenna was satisfied that they would suffice to decorate the castle, while Caroline and Jeremy completed the moat. It was a deep ditch surrounding the entire structure. Jeremy was working on a connection to the ocean now, so that they might fill their creation with actual water. His tiny feet dug into the soft sand, making him sink in almost to his knees. His rolled up jeans were wet, his hair was full of sand from when he had tried to push it out of his face with his hands. He was working hard and Elena could hear the little grunts coming from him as he heaved heap after heap of sand out of the ditch.

They all sat down around the castle and placed seashells around the towers and on the merlons. After a first bout of eager working however, Jenna stopped decorating and mostly turned the shells around in her hands.

"Look mom, they're so pretty," she said and held up a pink conch for Elena to look at.

"Yes, they're beautiful," Elena agreed while placing a piece of driftwood over the moat to double as a drawbridge.

"Hey Jenna," Caroline interjected, "if you want to, I'll show you how to make necklaces from them after dinner."

Jenna's eyes instantly widened. "Can we, mom?"

"Of course. That sounds wonderful," Elena approved and the smile on Jenna's face could have lit up the whole beach. "Thank you, Caroline. That's very nice of you," she added and a second beaming smile cast its glow over their little gathering.

"How is the construction coming along, ladies?... And gent?" came Damon's voice from behind them.

Before anyone else was able to respond, Jeremy had jumped up and came running over to them. "Look, Damon! I made a moat. I'm almost at the water." He grabbed at the man's jeans with his sandy fingers and Elena was about to scold him for it, when she heard Damon's deep laugh rumble merrily over the beach. He leaned down slightly and ran a hand over her son's messy hair.

"It looks amazing!" he praised and took Jeremy's tiny hand in his big one. "Let's finish that moat, huh buddy?" And together they walked down to where Jeremy's efforts had almost reached the lapping waves and Damon took off his shoes, rolled up his jeans and crouched next to Jeremy, digging into the moist sand and finishing the ditch's path towards the ocean. When a slow stream of water finally seeped into their canal and surrounded the castle, Jeremy jumped up, throwing his small fists in the air and whooped in excitement.

"We did it!" he exclaimed and ran over to the three women still putting the last decorative touches on their masterpiece.

"You guys need a flag or something," Damon stated, wiping his hands off on his pants.

"I know!" Jeremy called again and sped away towards the house. Elena got up and inspected their design from a higher viewpoint. Jeremy came running back only moments later, waving something in his hand and when Elena realized what it was, all color drained from her face.

"Jeremy, those are Vicki's bikini bottoms," she stated rather than doing what she was going for, namely scolding him

"I know. They're gold. It's perfect," the little boy stated proudly and tied the panties to a stick he found lying in the sand. Elena was shocked but Damon started laughing loudly right beside her.

"Well, you can't argue with that logic," he finally said into her ear.

"Of course you would approve," she reprimanded him, smacking a hand lightly against his chest. But she couldn't keep a small smile off her face. "I think you have a bad influence on my children," she mused.

"Well I think I have a great influence on you, so that evens the score," he replied with a wink and then turned to the rest of the group again. "Come on guys, dinner's ready. Let's go."

Jeremy jumped up after having pushed the makeshift flag into the highest tower of their edifice and leaped into Damon's arms who picked him up lightly and carried him back towards the house, the boy's wet and dirty feet pressing into his sides.

Elena let her eyes linger on the retreating men for a while but was startled out of her reverie when she felt a small hand hesitantly slipping into hers. "You coming, mom?" Jenna asked, looking up at her with big eyes.

"Yeah, let's go," she returned and closed her hand securely around her daughter's.


After dinner, Damon lit a fire and Bonnie and Vicki started lounging and reading on one of the sofas. Caroline had brought her sewing kit and Jenna had picked the prettiest shells to make jewelry with. Elena sat with them and watched as Caroline told the little girl how to carefully puncture holes into the shells with needles.

Jeremy, who had been playing on the rug in front of the fireplace, suddenly came up to them and tugged on his nanny's dress. "Miss Caroline, can you read me a story?" he demanded, making his best puppy eyes at her.

"Oh sweety, I'm just making some necklaces with your sister, then I'll read you a story, okay?" the blonde asked, her voice like honey.

"But I want a story now," Jeremy pouted.

Damon, who just came out of the kitchen bringing tee for everyone, stroked the boy's head lightly. "Haven't you learned how to read in school yet?" he asked, setting down the pot on the table.

"Sure I have!" Jeremy stated. "Mister Tanner says I'm really good at it, too," he added with pride.

"Really? How about you read me a story then?" he proposed and the desire in Jeremy to prove himself was sparked.

"But I pick the story," the boy yelled while already running up the stairs to get a book.

"That's very nice of you, but you don't have to do that," Elena stated, touching his forearm lightly for emphasis.

"Don't worry," he returned. "It's my pleasure." And at that Jeremy was already stomping down the wooden stairs again, waving a book in his hand. The two of them settled onto the second couch in front of the fire, Damon stretched out, leaning against the armrest and Jeremy curled up beside him, resting against his chest. The boy flipped open the book and started to read, slowly and haltingly but enthusiastically, every once in a while showing Damon a picture and pointing out things in the image. Damon looked into the book, seemingly captivated, helping Jeremy out with the difficult words. At one point, he unconsciously stroked his hand across the boy's forehead, wiping his hair out of his eyes. Elena could only sit there and gaze. It was such a perfect picture, it made her ache.


A/N: I have noticed that the longer I write this story, the less my Damon is like TVD!Damon. And I'm sorry, but it is the way it is. Can't make the characters do anything they don't want to do. I hope you can live with that and still enjoy this story :) Thanks for reading! xoxo