"That man is my real father, Grayson Pierce."
Confused, Damon's eyes dart from her to the picture and back. With his brain whirring a mile a minute, he remembers that Ric and Liz mentioned the name earlier today too. Although he thought the name sounded vaguely familiar, he was interrupted by Willow when he was about to ask them who this person was. Dropping his eyes to the photo once more, he finally puts two and two together, suddenly recognizing this man. His picture is hanging at the Missoula Smokejumper Visitor's Center. When their eyes meet again, he asks, 'The' Grayson Pierce...?" Shaking his head slightly, he takes a breath then continues, "Are you saying that John Gilbert is not your biological father?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." she confirms, nervously pulling her lower lip between her teeth. When he laces his fingers with hers, she nods and continues. "I always felt a little out of place with my family when I was a kid. It's hard to put it into words, Damon, but I always had the feeling that my father didn't like me very much. My mom was indifferent, doting much more on Katherine. She actually had Katherine participating in those children's beauty pageants. Often I was left with Emily while they flew all over the country for Katherine's competitions. You should see her room, it's full of trophies and ribbons and portraits of her. You could almost call it a shrine."
"Elena?" Damon whispers, feeling his own heart tugging painfully for her.
"I loved being with Emily. She was much more of a mother figure to me than my mom ever was, still is for that matter. I think part of the reason she never told them to take a hike was because of me," she laughs slightly.
"How did you find out?"
"Although I think they didn't want anymore children after Katherine, Jeremy was a surprise but because John was thrilled to be having a son, my mother grew to accept it too. Anyway, Jeremy was around three. For whatever reason, they left him home with me and Emily when they flew to the states to attend a beauty pageant. Being the curious kid that I was, I started snooping in my mom's closet. That's when I found the box. It had their marriage certificate, his death certificate and my birth certificate as well as that picture. There were a few more but I was afraid she'd notice them missing so I left the others."
"I can't imagine, Elena?"
"I was too scared to ask them about it at first, I was around ten or so. It took me awhile to work up the nerve to ask them. And when I did, the proverbial shit hit the fan.. I had no business snooping in her stuff and other than confirming that Grayson was my dad, I didn't get anything else out of them. The rest I found out through internet searches and stuff. Have you heard of him? I mean you stressed the word 'the' when you mentioned him before."
"I teach trainees in Missoula, Elena. So yes, I know of him and how he died a hero when he saved several members of his smoke jumping crew."
"His legacy is a big reason why I wanted to be a smokejumper too," she adds, her eyes dropping to the picture in her hand. It actually felt liberating to know that John isn't my father. Sure I call him dad because he's the only father I've ever known but you can't know how much it hurt sometimes when he would dismiss me or treat me like I was different somehow. I never understood what I did to make him not like me. And then I found out about Grayson and suddenly everything made sense."
Feeling dismay and anger that she was treated with anything less than love and affection as a child makes Damon's blood boil. But knowing that she just needs someone to listen to her right now, somehow he manages to tame the beast. Taking a deep breath, he drops a kiss to the top of her head. When their eyes meet, she continues.
"This man, Grayson, he was a hero, Damon. My father was a great man and I want to make him proud of me. I would like to think that he'd support my choices. It seems no matter what I do, it's never good enough for them. They always want Jeremy and Katherine to be in the spotlight. Sometimes I feel like a real life Cinderella, being relegated to the attic and hidden away. I have to believe that he would love and accept me for who I am and that he wouldn't try to change me."
Feeling his heart twist in his throat, Damon smiles at her. "There's no doubt in my mind that he'd be exceptionally proud of you." Smiling, through the tears that are now in her eyes, she glances at the picture with reverence once more. When she yawns widely, Damon glances at the clock. Although it's not really late yet, they've had a long, trying day with the half marathon and all the emotional weight crashing down on them. Taking it from her hand, with utmost care, Damon puts it safely back in her drawer and then turns out the lights.
"You're exhausted, I'm exhausted, it's time to sleep," he says, settling down onto the mattress. Not long after he pulls her into his embrace, he feels her breaths even out as they brush against his bare chest. Throwing his free arm over his eyes, Damon mind feels like it's in a blender. Having seen for himself the way her parents treat her, it's no wonder she looked for a role model in the father she never knew. Swallowing thickly, he feels a gnawing yet growing sense of fear that maybe she's not in the profession for the right reasons. He racks his brain, remembering every time they've been on the lines of a conflagration, he can't recall her taking any unnecessary chances off the top of his head but yet he remembers Brady calling her fearless which makes his belly churn so uncomfortably that he feels the bile sting the back of his throat. Feeling helpless to do anything in this moment, Damon drops a kiss to the top of her hair then closes his eyes and drifts into a restless sleep as thoughts of losing her begin to bombard his brain like cannon fire.
Both sore the next day from running the race, they spend a lazy Sunday making love over and over before finally dragging themselves out of bed around noon. Once they dress and are ready to go, Damon takes her out to lunch at Big Daddy's BBQ restaurant. After they each finish off their beef brisket sandwiches, Damon drives them over to the Georgeson Botanical Gardens where they spend the rest of the afternoon walking through the exhibits and playing hide and seek in the maze. For Damon, it gives him a respite from the lingering thoughts of worry that interrupted his sleep more than once last night. By the time the sun begins its descent into the horizon, Damon is pulling into her driveway. Although he wants to spend the night again, he needs to get home to his dogs. Fortunately his dad said they'd run by his house on their way home to let them outside for a little while so he could spend last night with her.
Walking hand in hand to her front door, she unlocks it and then turns around to face him. "I had a great time today, Damon. Thank you." When she looks at him with those big, blazing, burnished brown eyes of hers, it nearly takes him out at the knees. Although he doesn't say it out loud, he knows right here and now that he's completely in love with her. Raising his hands, he cradles her face, joining their lips in a slow deep kiss. Releasing one side of her face, he pushes her shirt up, splaying his hand against the soft skin of her back. As soon as she sucks his tongue in her mouth, he thread a couple fingers under the waistline of her jeans. Hearing her moan spurs him on and he pushes her forward, grinding his bulge against her core. Although every instinct is screaming at him to throw her over his shoulder and take her to bed and ravish her body, he knows he can't take it any farther tonight. Kissing her feels so very good that no words do it justice when trying to describe it. Finally his survival instinct kicks in forcing him to pull away with a gasp and a heaving chest.
"I don't want to go but I have to," he says, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger against her skin for a few moments.
"I know. I'll see you in the morning."
"Do you want me to pick you up?"
"No, I'm going to drive tomorrow. I promised Kol that I would help him do some more yardwork around the building." Nodding he drops one more quick kiss to her lips before turning around and trotting back to his car.
He turns around when he reaches his door, giving her a smile before he hops in and drives away. Elena stands at the door, watching till his car disappears down the street before going inside. After pulling a cooler out of the fridge, she plops down on the couch, letting her head fall back. Thinking about last night, she can't help but smile because it felt so good to finally share her story with someone, namely someone that she's in love with.
Showing up at the station the next morning, Elena is a little surprised when she doesn't see Damon right away. When she finally hears his voice, he's stepping out of Ric's office. Eyes meeting, Elena sees what looks like a little uncertainty wash over his face. In the next second it's gone, replaced by his beaming smile as he closes the distance between them. Dropping a quick kiss to her lips, he tells her good morning then follows Ric outside. Shrugging her shoulders, she puts her things in her locker then goes outside with Kol. Each grabbing a pair of yard gloves, they start pulling up weeds on the property. With the sun bearing down on them, it doesn't take her long to work up a sweat. Wiping the perspiration off her brow with her forearm, she's just about to walk inside to get a bottle of water when they hear the alert siren begin to blare loudly. Hurrying inside, they slip into their gear, joining Brady, Damon, Mikael, Slater and Rebekah to hurry to the plane where Marcel is already waiting for them.
Once they reach the drop point, the door is opened and then one after the other, they jump out of the plane, wafting to earth in free fall till it's time to pull the rip cord. Damon watches as the smoke column rises high, casting an ominous looking shadow over the horizon. Feeling his chute rock back and forth, he tries to steer it the drop point. When he lands with a tumble, he shakes off the cobwebs then hurries to his feet to release his chute. Hearing the loud crack of thunder, he looks up just in time to see lightning as it arcs down from the top of the smoke column. Gathering together, they march towards the beast, hoping to slay it quickly. Even though he's doing his job, Damon can't help but look over his shoulder now and again. When he can't find her, his heart lurches in his chest. But knowing that he can't abandon his duties, he continues.
Following Brady and Kol into the thick of it, Elena starts shoveling, helping her co-workers dig a trench. Although she doesn't see Damon, she's not worried about him. He would never put himself or any of them into unnecessary danger. Despite the roar of the fire, they look up when a loud crack of thunder fills the air. Before she can take a breath, a bolt of lightning strikes the tree next to where Brady is digging. When is starts to pitch, she has no time to think, only act. Dropping her shovel, Elena runs like gangbusters, shoving him out of the way, the tree barely missing them when it crashes to the forest floor. Once their breathing is back to normal, they stand up and get back to work.
With able hands and strong backs, they dig trenches and down trees, finally meeting up with Liz's men at the water truck. Having been pulled out of the thick of it, they look overhead as a couple of water tankers drop their cargo from the air, effectively putting this beast to rest. As soon as they're all back at the plane, Marcel begins the take off procedure and in a few minutes they're airborne and on their way back to the Fort Wainwright airfield. Seated beside her, an exhausted Damon extends an arm behind and drops his head back and closes his eyes.
"You saved my life out there today, Elena. I owe you one," Brady starts to say causing Damon's eyes to fly open.
"What happened?" he asks, his now darting back and forth between the two of them.
"A bolt of lightning struck a tree. She pushed me out of the way as it was coming down. I'd likely be in a black box if not for her," he adds, smiling at Elena. Dropping down he presses a kiss to her cheek then goes back to his seat.
"You risked your life?"
"Damon, he would've done if for me, you would've done it for any of us. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary."
"I guess you're right," he says, not wanting to get into it with her. When he drops his head again, Stefan's words are suddenly front and center in his brain, the words hero complex flashing like a neon sign in his mind. Although he wants the feeling to go away, it's growing and burning and like a wildfire, fueling his fears more with each beat of his heart.
Although he wants nothing more than to bury himself inside of her and show her how deeply he loves her, Damon needs some time to think. After kissing her goodbye at the station, he retreats to his car, driving slowly all the way to his place. As soon as he steps inside, his dogs Andromeda and Maggie greet him at the door, nearly knocking him over as they bathe his face with their tongues and paw at him playfully.
"Alright, alright," he laughs, opening his front door again so they can run outside. He has the invisible fencing around his property so they don't run off. Although he worries about Black and Grizzly bears sometimes, he's never had any of them invade his property. Walking over to the floor to ceiling windows that open up to Lake Tanana on either side of his fireplace, he presses his palm on the window while raking his hand through his hair with the other. Looking out over his deck towards the blue water, his belly is chaotic mess of conflicting thoughts. On one hand, he can't deny that he wouldn't hesitate even a heartbeat to save one of his team members and the logical side of him knows that Elena did the same for Brady. But now his heart is involved and the thought of losing her weighs so heavily that it's almost asphyxiating. Fisting his hands in his hair, he stumbles backwards onto one of his chairs. After several moments pass, he picks up the remote, turning off the TV that he sometimes leaves on to keep the dogs company. The flat screen is mounted on the fireplace. He has area rugs on the hardwood floor with rustic themed furniture and a chandelier hanging from the rafters. Wanting to shower, he lets the dogs in then walks up his spiral staircase with heavy legs. Having not slept well since Elena shared her secrets with him, he stumbles out of the shower, tumbling face first onto the bed where he falls asleep moments later.
Waking up the next morning, Damon realizes he's slept for almost thirteen hours. Picking up his phone he sees that he's missed a couple of phone calls from her and one from Willow. Deciding to stop by his parents on the way into town, he dresses quickly and is out the door, travel mug in hand in minutes. Swallowing the last of it by the time he reaches his folks house, he takes his mug inside with him so he can refill it. As soon as he's in the door, Willow looks up from her plate. He chuckles cause he knows she's dying to say something but her mouth is full. Suddenly hearing his brother's voice, he turns around to see his dad and Stefan walking into the house too.
"Stefan," Damon says, hoping that they won't come to blows this time.
"I'm leaving, mom. I'll see you this weekend," he says, giving her a kiss before darting around Damon and out of the door. Dropping his chin to his chest, Damon blows out a breath and then sits down.
"He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you Damon. Stefan isn't used to losing, he just needs some time yet."
"How much time? It's been weeks now."
"Damon, your brother has always been one to hang onto things, letting his anger fester and boil. He has his own timetable and you'll have to respect that."
"I suppose," he adds, standing up to refill his mug. Feeling his phone start to vibrate, Damon pulls it out of his pocket. Seeing her face, his mind immediately goes haywire again. Part of him wonders if Stefan is right about her hero complex and for the first time since he's known her, he has to wonder if she's in this job for the right reasons. The man is dead, she never knew him and yet her life's goal is to emulate him. Placing his elbows on the table, he drops his head into his hands in frustration.
"What's the matter, Damon?"
"Nothing is the matter, Willow. But I need to get to the station," he says, stopping once more to top off his coffee mug.
"Don't forget to tell Elena that mommy said I could stay with her this weekend."
"I'll tell her," Damon reassures her. After dropping a kiss to her head and to his mom's cheek, he gives his dad's shoulder a squeeze then hurries outside. Jumping into his car, he makes a beeline for Fort Wainwright. As soon as he sees Elena, he stalks over towards her, pulls her into his arms and plants a tumultuous kiss to her lips. Even though they were alone seconds ago, suddenly they pull apart when they hear cat calls and wolf whistles. Stepping apart, Elena blooms bright red when she sees Kol winking at her. Suddenly an alert sounds on the overhead speaker. Then as if in slow motion, everything reaches a boiling point for Damon. Seeing how excited she is as she slips into her gear, he finds himself unable to separate lover from boss. Without hesitating a millisecond, he hurries into Ric's office, slamming the door closed behind him.
"What is it Damon?"
"It's Elena, you can't let her go out there today. Please Ric?" he asks, his heart slamming inside his chest like a runaway locomotive.
"What's gotten into you?"
"I need you to back me up on this, Ric. I need her off the lines until I'm sure she's in her right mind."
"Why now, Damon? Why are you suddenly questioning her abilities? Hasn't she proven herself over and over again?"
"That man, Grayson Pierce was her dad. I'm afraid she's not in this job for the right reasons. She's trying to live up to his legacy because her parents treat her like she doesn't belong. I know Grayson was a hero but he still got killed fighting a blaze. She nearly got herself killed the last time we went out. We can't let that happen to her," he implores his friend, fear and anxiety combining to rob Damon of any objectivity where she's concerned. With his nerves alight with anxiety and worry for her safety reaching def con 10, Damon pops another antacid tablet into his mouth. Something that's become all too common for him of late.
Although he has his own doubts about Damon's motivations here, he can also see that he has some valid concerns about Elena. "Get your gear on, I'll be out in a moment." After trying to steady his trembling hands, Damon walks out of his office and into the locker room, quickly slipping into his gear before walking outside and towards the plane as if he was walking to the gallows. As soon as he's on board, he sees Ric following after him, motioning for Marcel to hold up a minute. Climbing into the plane, he shares a quick glance with Damon before telling Elena that he'd like to speak with her.
Confused, Elena looks at Damon. Unable to hold her stare, Damon quickly turns away.
"Elena," Ric repeats, because each second that he waits for her delays their takeoff.
Inherently knowing that something is very wrong, Elena gets up and walks down the aisle and follows Ric out of the plane. Just outside of the window where he's seated, Damon's feels his heart beating so hard in his throat that he feels like he can't breathe. He can see how upset she is. Finally throwing her arms up, she starts to walk off. But something makes her turn around and when she does, she looks right into Damon's eyes with look that nearly takes him out at the knees. Although he can feel the butterflies swirling like maelstrom in his belly, he can't look away, not until she's nothing but a speck on the tarmac as Marcel flies the plane towards their destination.
Feeling like her heart has been ripped out through her throat, Elena stands there stunned that he would pull rank on her like this. Unable to move, unable to cry, unable to even comprehend the sting nor depth of betrayal that's burning hot inside of her, she finally snaps out of it when Ric places his hands on her shoulders to lead her back into the building.
Thank you, Eva. My heart is full of love for you.
And a big thank you to all of you too. I'm simply in awe of all of you. Thank you so much for supporting my work.
Chapter title: "Heaven's On Fire" by Kiss.
I posted a one shot with figure skating Delena. It's called 'Burnt Ice'. If interested, you can look at my profile for all the holiday time one-shots that I posted. I did update 'RFTR' and ICEM will update soon too.
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Have a safe and wonderful day. We'll see you next time.
