Karaoke
DG32173

Sarah: this is based off the song that I want played for the father/daughter dance at my wedding. Alternate universe in that Grayson and Miranda Gilbert are still alive. Told from Damon's viewpoint.

Song: Stealing Cinderella

Artist: Chuck Wicks

Album: Starting Now

Genre: family?

Pairing: Damon/Elena


I've been in this living room hundreds of times over the past four years, but never have I been more nervous than I am now. Elena's father knows exactly what I am and he knows many ways to take me down permanently. And it's no secret why I'm here tonight. He wasn't very happy when he found out Elena and I were dating. We've been together almost from the day we met.

She wanted us to wed a lot sooner so she could be mine for eternity. But I insisted on waiting until she was at least twenty-one. Closer to my age, I said. In one way, she is closer to my age, if you go by my physical age. Elena's physically gotten between me and a stake in Grayson's hand more than once, and every damn time it scared the hell out of me. Human reaction times are so damn slow. More than once I had to grab her and leap back to keep her from being staked by her own father.

I shake my head to free myself of my thoughts and look around the room for a distraction. Once again, the pictures of her and her brother as children flooding the mantle of the fireplace catch my eye. I slowly walk over and examine the ones with Elena. I have a few favorites among them.

One where she's dressed up as Cinderella with a silver wand. She's holding it and touching her father's nose with it, grinning brightly. Another where she's riding what is obviously her first bike, her father having just released the handlebars to let her try it on her own. There's one where she's caught midair while bouncing on her bed, waving her pillow at a laughing Grayson. Then there's the one where she's running through the sprinklers, grinning with blue Popsicle smeared around her mouth. And finally there's the one where she's dressed as Cinderella again, but this time she's dancing with her father.

"Ain't she something, son?" Grayson asks from behind me.

"She's quite the woman," I tell him, turning to meet his startled gaze. That's when I realize that in his eyes, she will always be his little girl. I know she sees me as her Prince Charming, though I keep telling her I'm more like the Prince of Darkness. Now I see that in his eyes, I'm just some guy who has come to steal Cinderella.

I hear Elena laughing with her mom in the kitchen and a gentle smile takes over my lips while I turn my head towards the women. I love that girl more than I ever loved Katherine. Then Grayson claps me on the shoulder. "I don't like what you plan on doing to my daughter, Damon Salvatore. But I'm not blind to how you two feel about each other," he tells me gruffly. "I've heard tales that when vampires fall in love, it takes an act of God to make them fall out of it. I know you'll love my daughter even beyond eternity. You make her happier than I've ever seen her. I'd be a fool to get between the two of you. Don't you dare make her cry."

"I would kill myself if I were the cause of her pain," I vow.

He nods and calls her into the room. She comes in, worry creasing her brow. She knows just how unlikely it is he'd give his blessing to our wedding. "If your so determined to join him as a creature of the night, there's nothing I can do to stop you. I'll give you my blessing," Grayson says.

Elena throws her arms around him in joy. That's when I could see the child that he sees when he looks at her. All those pictures on the mantel come to life in front of me. She had me listen to the song she wanted played for the father/daughter dance at our wedding and I realize now that I had just lived that song. A wry smile works its way onto my lips. I never thought of Elena as a fairytale princess, but now I can see how Cinderella was her favorite as a child. I know that Grayson will give me plenty of hard times before he dies, but I can't blame him. I'm the one stealing Cinderella.