A/N: Before I go any further, I want to say that I am scrapping the 10 chapter idea due to a change in the storyline. And this chapter will be written by my dear friend, Olivia since I am on bed rest from getting my appendix recently removed.
Sorry for the wait. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Some of you have mentioned that it was fast for them to jump into marriage, which I was anticipating at least one of you to say. The answer to that will be in this chapter!
Pretty please R&R and tell me how you like the new idea!
Chapter 9:
It's Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday
Saying farewell is never easy, especially when it's people that they have grown to acknowledge as their friends. Friends are the pull that keeps them from jumping off the cliff of sanity into the whirling ocean of lunacy. Friends are the comforting hug when they feel like there is nothing to live for. Without friends, they would be lost. And here they are, saying farewell to their friends.
Damon closed the final drawer to his dresser with the heel of his boot, his arms full of clothing he brought for the trip. His eyes were beginning to ache from the amount of eye rolls he did in the last few minutes from his band mates' childish questions.
Anthony was sat in the corner, arms crossed like a defiant toddler denied a new toy, "What about the band? Ever since that girl came into the picture, Serpenti was placed on the back burner," Damon glanced up, eyes narrowed, but before he could open his mouth to reply, Anthony continued, "It's like you just abandoned the one thing that you strived to succeed in."
Damon sighed, dropping his clothing into the opened suitcase placed on the bed. Leaning against the nearby wall, he kept his eyes trained on the floor, "I've already contacted Mickey. He's agreed to put the tour on hold with the exception that I fly to California every month for rehearsals and other events for a week."
Armand, who had entered the room with a cheap donut stuffed in his mouth, shook his head, "When will you be back," He paused, locking gazes with Damon, "for good?"
Damon jaw clenched, for they were acting as if Elena was like any other girl in the world, "I have obligations now. I'll be back when junior makes an appearance, but just know things won't be like they used to."
Both men before him, who had the wits of two year olds, tilted their heads.
Damon rolled his eyes, living with these imbeciles was a job on its own, "No more late nights of drinking or partying at clubs or sleeping around."
Anthony's eyes widened, clearly not comprehending, "I don't think I could handle that."
Armand nodded, "I get loopy without a case of beer and a girl every night."
Damon closed his eyes in frustration. He would never understand how these two haven't managed to get themselves killed with the utterly stupid things they said.
"For me. I'm talking about me." He shook his head as the two muttered oh's.
The Female Trio…
"Elena, please, just keep your eyes open wide with him." Bonnie warned as she sat cross-legged on Elena's bed.
"Why would I-" Elena clamped her mouth shut before worrying, "You don't think he'll," she swallowed the knot in her throat, "cheat or leave us, do you?" She glanced frantically at her friend, hoping that she had the magical answer.
Bonnie's eyes grew cold, "Men like him are unpredictable."
Caroline kept an ear on the conversation from the kitchen, where she muttered beneath her breath, "Agreed."
Elena tensed, "Men like him?" Her bottom lip was between her teeth. She always seemed to be with the wrong guy.
"I'm sorry," Bonnie averted her gaze to the floor, "I don't want to worry you. Ugh, I'm being an awful friend." She took Elena's hand in hers, "In total honesty, I barely know the guy, so I wouldn't know."
The vivacious brunette relaxed. But even in a small moment of repose, the devil on her shoulder kept whispering. Her stomach did a somersault at the idea of him abandoning her and their child.
There was a good chance that he would, telling by the way he was so passionate about his career. Could she really ask him to give all of that up?
Her hand subconsciously rubbed her still-flat stomach. Bonnie glanced at her worriedly before Caroline called for her to come assist her in the kitchen. Her mind rewound back to one sentence that Bonnie rushed out. 'I barely know the guy, so I wouldn't know.'
Elena felt her heart pick up pace. She barely knew him, yet she accepted his marriage proposal. What if he was an ex-convict? Or an abusive man? She shook her thoughts from her head because she knew now that she may never know these things. She was marrying a total stranger. How much more oblivious can she get?
Bringing her knee to rest beneath her chin, she quietly stormed up an idea.
Damon picked up his phone, holding it against his ear with his shoulder as he folded his costumes from a concert earlier that year. "Hello?" He fought with the zipper to the suitcase before managing to win, not without a few battle scars. He almost yelped into the receiver as the zipper dug into the skin on his thumb, bringing blood to the surface.
"Hey, Damon."
His mood immediately brightened, forgetting about the bleeding cut all together. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his three band mates fighting over the remote to the television, their voices growing louder.
He shook his head before walking out onto the balcony. The city was alive, cars speeding below as ant-sized people scurried to get to their desired location, all seemingly unaware that Damon was watching them from up and above. "Hello, kitten. Go out onto your balcony." He tapped his foot as he waited mere seconds before spotting her slipping out the sliding door. She smiled slightly, eyes twinkling in the bright sunshine before hanging up, as did he.
"I've been thinking." She began. Damon was entranced by how her skin had a beautiful glow to it. The way her angel-crafted lips moved when she talked had him drooling. How could a woman affect him this profoundly?
He rested his chin in his hand when he placed his elbow on the railing, wishing he could wrap his arms around her. "Oh, really? What about?"
She flashed a nervous smile before stepping towards the railing to sit in the chair placed there. "About how we barely know each other."
Damon was about to object when he found that his argument would hold no water whatsoever. His mouth opened like a fish before snapping shut.
Seeing his hesitation, she quickly said, "So I was thinking that we get to know each other over a few dinners once we're in New York. Take some time to act like we're two people who are meeting for the first time."
Damon frowned knowing all too well what that meant; no staying over each other's places, which was also packaged together with no sex. He groaned, knowing this was going to be a long journey.
He was a man with a small list of needs; alcohol in his hand, a girl by his side, and sex. Screw the common necessities. As long as he had those three things, he was content.
After minutes of hugging and tears, Elena reassured her small group of friends that she would see them in New York in a couple of days, seeing as they couldn't stay in North Las Vegas forever. After making a short trip to one of the airport stores, she handed Caroline a small make-up kit for the smears of mascara that covered her cheeks. Caroline blushed slightly before rushing to the bathroom to apply the make-up.
Bonnie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "So… Jeremy and I will be staying here for another week," She saw her friend frown and was quick to insert, "But we'll be back as soon as the week is up."
Elena smiled, showing the world her pearly whites before enveloping her into a hug, whispering, "Just have fun."
A strangled sob turned laugh escaped her throat as she clung to her friend, not wanting this moment to end. Sadly, the two pulled apart, Elena walking after Damon. With a broken smile, Bonnie turned around, beginning the small walk back to her car with Caroline, only looking over her shoulder when she heard a voice call out.
"Bonnie! Caroline!" She turned around, seeing Elena trying her best to smile, "Iway ovelay youway uysgay." Her mouth twisted into a grin before turning back around to board the plane.
Caroline let out a chuckle at the Pig Latin form of 'I love you guys'. She still remembered after all those years ago in that small tree house behind Caroline's home. Bonnie smiled, her eyes glazing over, small tears prickling her eyes before glancing over to her friend. "God, I miss being a kid."
Caroline giggled before grabbing Bonnie's arm, "Agreed."
The plane ride consisted of nausea and grumbling from not only fellow passengers, but Damon. He didn't get a wink of sleep from Elena going back and forth between her seat and the bathroom. Most passengers on the plane took to the idea that they should steer clear from that one restroom in the back from the odor of her constant regurgitation.
Damon rubbed his temples after her umpteenth trip to the bathroom, letting the stewardesses, who took pity on her, help her back there. Stumbling back to her seat, she gave a tired half-smile to the tired Damon before settling into the first-class seat.
Just as he was falling into the thin layer of the dream world, her voice cut through, "We're landing soon."
His eyes snapped open, red by this time. With a huff, he nodded, giving up on the idea of sleep altogether. Instead, he turned to his left to look out the window. The stars were peeking through the thin layers of marshmallow clouds as they flew past at a seemingly slow pace.
He could remember his childhood when his father would make a rare appearance at home long before the clock struck midnight. The maid rushed into his room, curtly announcing that his father would arrive home at any moment. He rushed down the staircase, lining up beside his younger brother, anticipating the arrival of their father.
The butlers with their ironed suits and thin-lined mouths lined on the left of the room, while the maids in their proper black-and-white attire and liberal smiles were lined on the right of the room.
The door opened to reveal a tall figure with cropped, dark blonde, graying hair in a suit, the tie long-since thrown into his suitcase. His lips were drawn downward into a deep frown as his eyes skimmed the room, finally stopping on the two boys in the center, one with raven hair, the other with his father's locks, both wearing their nightwear.
He snickered at the eldest child, once beaming with a smile now turned into a frown at his father's disapproval of him. When his father's eyes locked onto his younger brother's face, he smiled, walking towards the young boy before taking his hand and guiding him towards the backyard where they would gaze at the stars and chat. The raven-haired child was left shattered, eyes dropped to the floor as small tears rolled down his cheeks.
He tried his hardest to obey and get his father's approval to no avail. He would always be the child of remembrance of the mother he could never remember. The child that his father despised simply because he had inherited his mother's looks. This left Damon feeling unwanted by the world. And that led him to trying to find things that would get underneath his father's skin, make him want to say that he hated him with every fiber in his body.
That day came when Damon was sixteen. He had recently discovered the world of rock and roll, listening to every CD of every band he could find, blasting it from his speakers within his room. This built on top of the fact that he had quit his job crawled over his father's skin, since Stefan was too 'fragile' to have a hard labor job. His father seethed downstairs until he burst through the bedroom door, taking his glass that once held liquor and threw it across the room, shattering it against the wall. Inside Damon smirked, knowing he had finally picked his way through the brick wall his father had built and now, he was going to bring it crumbling down.
His father was later arrested as Damon watched on, his bottom lip split and bleeding profusely, left eye swollen, black and blue imprinted across his face and stomach. His brother had sworn to never talk to him again, which Damon was grateful for, and watched as Stefan stormed out of the house and into their uncle's car. Of course, Uncle Alfonso wanted nothing to do with Damon after the incident, but his wife, bless her soul, loved Damon with all her heart and wired him cash frequently. She even sponsored his band when he told her about how he met up with these three guys from his neighborhood.
And everything launched from there; an eighteen-year-old thrown into the world of music, dedicating five years of his life with touring bars and various venues.
But every time he glanced up to those stars, he wondered where in the world his bastard father and suck-up brother must be. He hoped his father was dead, but could wish no such thing upon his brother.
Elena glanced over to him, seeing that he must be in his own world. Taking the blankets that the stewardess handed her, she rested one on his lap, effectively snapping him out of his trance.
"Thanks." He muttered before adjusting the blanket to cover most of his legs.
New York City didn't seem to change a bit to neither of the two. Once the two hailed their own cabs, they gave a parting, awkward hug before setting off to their respective apartments.
Elena was greeted with a gush of cool air as soon as she stepped foot into her apartment. She closed her eyes, savoring the light breeze as it brushed against her cheeks. She smiled before making her way to her room, releasing the handle to her suitcase and plopping onto the bed after calling the ballet company to say that she would be taking a maternity leave as soon as possible. She missed her old, creaky bed because it was the most comforting mattress in the world, to her.
Days passed before the two had a brief conversation over the phone, exchanging details of when and where their first date would be held. It felt awkward for Elena to be wearing the engagement ring that Damon had sent to her, via the mail. She had rolled her eyes when she received it from her mailman, knowing how un-romantic it was for him to do that. Stuffed beside the ring was a letter in which he had briefly told her that their first date is to be the most romantic of all. She had blushed at those words, resulting in another eye roll on her part.
There she stood in front of her apartment building, tapping her high-heeled shoe impatiently. She immediately regretted wearing the shoes, since her doctor had informed her that it wouldn't be safe to wear them down the road. Her ankles were beginning to ache, not to mention the throbbing pain in her lower back. Waiting close to thirty minutes after the supposed time her white knight was to pick her up has had a profound negative reaction from her. With a huff, she spun around, scrapping the idea that he was going to show up.
Whipping open the door with such fury even the doorman stepped back a few, she was stopped in her path by a hand on her shoulder. She spun around in ire, only to be put to rest when she saw the devilishly handsome man before her.
"Good evening, milady." He said, bowing a bit.
Her rage bubbled over the pot when she clipped his shoulder with her fist, "You're late."
He shrugged his shoulders, wincing when a dull pain shot through him, "Calm yourself. Wouldn't want to spoil the night, now do you?"
She visibly calmed, the slight wrinkles in her forehead disappearing, "Where are we going?"
He shook his head, "Ah, ah, ah, that's a surprise." His eyes shifted to her left hand, finding that she hadn't worn the ring. He frowned momentarily before replacing it with a smirk. "After you, milady." He gestured towards a sports car parked in front of the building.
She was about to bark back a rude comment before she settled her eyes on the sight before her. This car put hers to shame.
She sighed, "Is that what I think it is?"
Damon glanced over from opening the passenger door for her, confusion etched into the features of his face before realizing what she was asking. He waggled his eyebrows as a smile took over his features, "Ferrari 458 Italia." She was in visible shock as she walked towards the car, gently running her fingers down the side before stepping into the exotic sports car.
He shut her door, a chuckle rumbling from within from her reaction, as well as the others from the various pedestrians gawking in awe. Getting into his seat, he glanced over to her, "What, didn't think I had mucho dinero?"
She kept staring at the dashboard before managing out, "Hell no. Telling by the camper your band tours in."
He laughed, thinking back to when Mickey had first rolled up in the piece of crap. Turning the key in the ignition, the car roared to life, "Yeah, Mickey's a cheap son of a bitch." Elena let out a nervous giggle, which she almost never does, while running a single hand through her hair.
It was the critically-acclaimed, high-end restaurant, Avec Amour. Elena had heard the rants and raves about the eatery, besides a man who had gone by himself and commented on how lovey-dovey it was.
She sighed in awe as they stepped inside, her hand intertwined with his. He spoke fluent French to the seating waitress before they were guided to a private area outside. Glancing down to her, he waggled his eyebrows, whispering, "I told you this would be an unforgettable date." She rolled her eyes, having not seen what he was talking about just yet.
The waitress leaned in to whisper something into his ear, a smile on her face. Damon told Elena that he would be right back, leaving her standing by closed doors that led outside. A rush of jealousy shot through her when she thought about why she was smiling, what they were talking about, and what they were doing if not talking. She shivered at the thought of him having more than one woman in his life.
Her face grew red before she wiped the angry expression off of her face as soon as he stepped back beside her. "Right this way, mon amour."
Elena blushed at his French before walking out the now open doors. She stilled once she caught sight of the lone table, set up romantically on a large balcony with a stunning view of the city. She tried to fish around for the right words before Damon gave her a pointed look, "No need for words, kitten. Take a seat." He gestured towards the wooden chair pulled out for her, him standing directly behind it to push it back in.
Once both were situated, she finally realized that they weren't exactly alone. Two violinists were softly playing in the corner, smiles gracing their features. She felt the eye roll itching to be presented by how cheesy, yet romantic this is. She never would've pinned Damon Salvatore, rock star, to be the romantic type of guy.
He handed her a menu, "Anything you want."
She nodded before skimming the menu, eyes bulging at the prices, "There's nothing here under a hundred dollars!"
He shrugged his shoulders, "Still think I don't have mucho dinero?" She giggled, wanting to face palm herself for doing it again. Elena Gilbert rarely giggles.
After a waiter took their orders, Damon seemed slightly reddened by the fact that the waiter was a male. If she knew the reason why he was reddened in the cheeks, she would've laughed out loud. Good thing she never asked.
Deciding to strike up a conversation, she began, "So, Damon, what do you do for a living?"
He was taken aback before realizing that this was supposed to be their first date, "Oh, ugh, I'm a singer in a band."
She seemingly brightened up, "Really, what's the name of the band?"
"Serpenti."
She smiled before adjusting her napkin on her lap, "Does that mean anything?"
He returned the smile, loving how she was acting so innocent, "Serpent, it means serpent."
She face palmed herself before chuckling, "Man, that was obvious."
Placed in front of the two were the most extravagant dinners either had laid eyes on. Damon swirled his fork around the noodles in his plate of spaghetti with seared king scallops and truffle cream sauce. Elena practically inhaled her jumbo wonton soup with barbecue pork, savoring the taste as it glided across her tongue.
Once both were finished and the bill had been paid, Damon took Elena's hand, whisking her away to his car. He drove four miles to the closest beach, all the while ignoring her questions of where they were heading to.
Taking her hand once again, they walked down to the edge of the ocean, their shoes long since taken off. The pads of her feet were being tickled with each small wave that washed up, her hand clasped in Damon's. He closed his eyes momentarily as they ventured on down the stretch of sand, never wanting to forget this moment.
When the sun had set and the pair was equally tired, Damon led Elena back to his car where he drove them back to the city, glancing to her for as long as he could before directing his gaze back to the streets before him.
As much as they wanted to spend the rest of the night and morning together in each other's embrace, the Ferrari stopped in front of her apartment building, ending the silence that once filled the car.
"As much as I want to wrap my arms around you and spend the night together," His eyes visibly darkened, "I must respect your decision to get to know one another."
She smiled, gripping the handle to the door, "Thank you, Damon. We should do this again sometime."
He nodded, watching her step out. Before she could close the door, he leaned over, struggling with the seat belt to place his hand on her still-flat stomach, "Take care of both you, okay, Elena? I wouldn't be able to live if I lost either of you." Keeping his hand resting there for a second longer, he pulled back, allowing her to shut the door with a beaming smile on her features.
He made sure she got inside the building safely before pulling away, ease washing over him.
Elena closed the door to her apartment, feeling like she was currently situated on cloud nine. Everything felt perfect. Walking towards the kitchen table, she picked up the opened package, dove her hand inside before pulling out. With care, she placed the beautiful engagement ring on her finger while gingerly placing her other hand on her stomach. Inside, she hoped she would never have to take the ring off.
A/N: How did you guys like it? I hope you guys like the new idea I have stormed up, since they just jumped right into engagement. Reviews help the writing process!
Sneak Peek into the next chapter:
Elena felt like her heartstrings were being violently tugged. This was absolutely killing her. The tears threatened to fall as she clenched her hands into fists, not being able to bear this any longer. She shut her eyes, wishing that her confidants, Bonnie and Caroline, were here, comforting her. But she could only wish upon a star, for they still had three more days until they returned to New York.
