You guys are still so amazing. Thank you all so much for your amazing and passionate reviews! Thanks to Jenn for being an awesome beta. Ok, to the dinner party!
"You did what?" Damon cried out. He was in the middle of the kitchen watching Elena move around preparing the meal that she volunteered them to host.
"This was the only way to be sure you showed up," Elena said, completely exasperated with him.
"I'm not going to let them rip us apart in our own home!" he said defensively. She stopped moving and turned to look at him, her hands on her hips and her head tilted to one side.
"Now, you are just being dramatic," she huffed. "It's one dinner, Damon. Go put your big boy pants on and deal with it." With that, she returned to her meticulous preparation for their dinner that evening.
"You're being mean," he whined.
"And you are being a brat," she shot back without even turning around.
"I resent that," his voice dropped into a serious tone, causing her to turn around.
"Damon, don't," she said with her hands in surrender while slowly backing away from him. He was stalking her like she was his prey.
"Take it back," he told her in a low voice. His blue eyes were dancing with danger as he advanced on her. She stopped moving backward and looked him right in the eye and with an insubordinate look she crossed her arms over her chest.
"No," she smirked when she saw the fire light in his eyes.
"You are going to regret that," he warned. She held his gaze for a moment longer before she turned on her heel and took off running, screaming the whole way.
A second later, Damon took off after her, following the sounds of her laughter. He caught up to her in the living room and he wrapped his arms around her waist before falling back onto the couch, with her on top of him. He shifted so she was underneath him and his fingers worked relentlessly on her sides. He knew the exact spot under her ribs that would make her giggle like a little girl.
"Please, stop!" she cried between her cries of laughter.
"Take it back," he told her.
"Never!" she shrieked as his tickling only increased.
"I'm going to pee!" she cried and he slowed his fingertips, knowing better than to push it.
He moved his hands from her sides to hold himself over her. Her face was flushed and her chest was heavy with her pants. It was exactly how he liked her. She pushed against his shoulders and hauled herself onto his lap. She let out a frustrated growl when her stomach stopped her from getting as close to him as she wanted. The sounds went straight to his other brain.
His arms wrapped around her back and traced small circles into the exposed skin above the waistband of her pants. Her gaze was locked with his as her hands ran through his hair. They sat like that for several minutes, just enjoying the feel of one another. Her eyes finally left his and he could feel her body tense as she took in their position. In the living room, on the couch. On the couch in the living room. Shit.
The atmosphere went from playful, to peaceful, to tense in a matter of minutes. Her fingers stilled in his hair and slowly detangled themselves. She pushed herself off him awkwardly. When she was upright, she fixed her clothes and smoothed her hair back into place. She gave him a tense smile before she mumbled something about checking on the food. He watched her disappear around the corner and it hurt him to see her like that.
The past week had been great. The couches in their home, including the couch in the den where they rediscovered the spark, had seen a lot of action, all of them except for one. The one he was sitting on. The one he tackled her onto. The one he was on when she caught him with Andie. One that she wouldn't touch, wouldn't look at, wouldn't even go near.
He dropped his head into his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. He made a mental note to get a new couch as soon as possible.
"You're seriously going to make me wear a tie?" he grumbled as he tried - for the third time - to tie a double windsor. It just wasn't happening.
Elena appeared in the doorway with a soft smile and padded across the room to plant herself in front of him.
"But you look so nice in a tie," she said as her hands replaced his on the offending piece of fabric.
All of his frustration and nerves surrounding the evening washed away as he watched her fingers work meticulously on his tie. He loved the way her bow furrowed a little when she concentrated. Her hair was in loose curls that made him want to run his hands through it. She was wearing a blue and white dress and her make up was a little heavier than usual, but stunning none the less. Needless to say, she looked beautiful.
The second she stepped away from him, he felt all the stress flood his body once more. Before he had to go and face the firing squad, he just needed one thing. His hand lifted to cup her soft cheek and he leaned in to gently press his lips against hers. All too soon he pulled away.
"Everything is going to be fine," she repeated the same statement she had been telling him all day, but in that moment he finally believed her. And when the doorbell rang, he had just enough courage to descend the stairs and answer it.
There stood Stefan, Caroline, his mother and his father on his porch. He mustered the energy to put a smile on his face and welcome them into his home. Stefan gave him an affectionate pat on the back, Damon gave Caroline a quick kiss on her cheek, his mother threw her arms around her prodigal son, and, finally, his father gave him a terse handshake.
His whole life he'd been told that he was the spitting image of his mother. With the raven hair, pale complexion, and ocean blue eyes, he agreed with them. He loved his mother, and seeing her in his home, he realized how much he missed her presence in his life.
He and his father, however, looked nothing alike. As a child he wondered if that was why he so obviously preferred Stefan. His father expected everything from him, causing him to rebel more often than not, further proving to his father that Stefan was the golden child.
Damon led them into the living room with Caroline chattering away, happily filling in the tense atmosphere. Silence fell on the room when Elena entered. Damon's breath caught in his throat at the sight of her, despite the elephant in the room.
"Hello, everyone," she smiled sincerely. His mother rose and crossed the room to hug her daughter-in-law.
"Elena, it's good to see you again," Isabella said as she wrapped her arms around Elena.
"It's been a while," she laughed nervously. As Isabella pulled Elena into her, she froze when Elena's stomach hit hers. She pulled back and her eyes dropped between them. Damon watched his mother's eyes grow wide and he decided it was time to clear the air.
"Mom, Dad," he started hesitantly, rising from his chair to wrap an arm around his wife. "Elena and I are having a baby." He tried to wipe the idiotic grin off his face, but it was useless.
His mother's eyes lit up while Giuseppe's grew colder, if that was even possible.
"I'm shocked you two can stand to be in the same room as each other," he said dryly, eyeing their loving embrace with cynicism.
"Why don't we all sit down? Dinner is on the table," Elena suggested as the awkward silence threatened to descend on the room once more.
Caroline and Isabella complimented Elena on the meal, while Stefan tried to converse with Damon, but he was listening to the women's conversation at the other end of the table. They were all eating happily and chatting about baby things.
"Did you get the pictures of those cribs I sent you?" Caroline asked her, to which she nodded.
"I loved the dark wood one. It was gorgeous," Elena gushed, her face lighting up as it always did when someone asked about the baby. He couldn't help the smile that graced his lips.
"How far along are you?" Isabella asked, the excitement of a grandchild still evident in her eyes.
"Almost 17 weeks," Elena replied, her tone matching her mother-in-law's elated one.
"Did you find out the gender?" Isabella asked. Elena nodded happily.
"It's a girl," she answered with a bright smile.
"Hope she doesn't turn out like her mother," Giuseppe muttered under his breath. Damon felt his blood boil in an instant.
"Excuse me? Like you get to judge," Damon hissed at him. His hands clenched into fists on the table. Everyone at the table stopped talking and stared at him.
"Damon, calm down," Stefan said, trying to reason with him.
"No, I will not fucking calm down," he almost yelled. It was his wife that his father was talking about.
"Typical. This is exactly why you were never fit for the company," Giuseppe clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Giuseppe, now is not the time," Isabella admonished him.
"No, Damon's the one yelling, so let's get this out," Giuseppe gestured to Damon and sat back in his seat, ready to enjoy the show. "He's just angry because he asked – no, begged - to come back to the company so he could please his nearly catatonic wife, and I shot him down."
"Damon?" Elena's quiet voice hit his ears loud and clear. He glanced over to her. She sat ramrod straight and her skin looked a little pale. She didn't need this kind of stress in her home. He wouldn't have it.
"This was a mistake. You need to get the hell out of my house," he growled at his father.
"Why? Because I'm telling the truth? Because I told you that I wouldn't give you a job unless you left your greedy and selfish wife?" Giuseppe snapped. The silence in the room was almost tangible.
"You son of a bitch," Damon snarled.
"Damon, please," his mother begged.
"How fucking dense are you? I didn't cut you off because you wouldn't give me a job! I cut you off because you are a cheating bastard!" Damon roared, pushing his chair back from the table and jumping to his feet.
"Damon!" Isabella's voice only fueled his anger.
"No, don't 'Damon' me," he rolled his eyes and turned to her. "God, Mom, how could you have stayed with him after that? When he so openly admitted to it? When he admitted to it over and over again?"
"You don't have much room to talk Damon, as I see your wife forgave you," Giuseppe's bitter voice cut in.
"It's not the same."
"Oh, of course not. It's ok for you because your wife decided to be a little bitch and she deserved it. Is that it, Damon?" The self satisfied smirk on that man's face was taunting him so badly that he had to grip the table to keep from hitting him.
Elena's gasp could be heard through the entire room. His gaze snapped to hers and his heart ripped in half when he saw her eyes glistening with tears. She gave him one last devastated look before she pushed her chair back and fled the room, with Caroline hot on her heels, shooting them all a death glare.
"I really think it's time for you to leave," Stefan finally spoke up. The authority in his voice caught the attention of every person in the room. Giuseppe openly gawked at his prized son. He was clearly shocked that his pride and joy would speak to him in such an insubordinate tone.
Giuseppe huffed as he looked expectantly at his wife, who rose without a word other than a whispered apology as she moved past her sons.
Damon wilted with relief when the door slammed shut. He couldn't believe how his evening went from bad to catastrophic. What he hated most was that he wanted nothing more than to go comfort his distressed wife, but he knew that what she really needed now was Caroline.
"Damon," Stefan said quietly, "If I had known he would be like that, I would never have forced the dinner."
"I know, brother," Damon said as he moved to the fridge. He opened it, pulled out two beers, and let the door swing shut.
"Thanks," Stefan said when he took the drink from Damon, who'd already opened his and flopped back onto his chair.
They both sat in utter speechlessness as they replayed the chaotic dinner in their minds. They remained that way until Caroline came down the stairs a while later.
"How is she?" Damon asked, rising from his seat when Caroline entered the kitchen.
"Upset, but she's sleeping now," Caroline replied.
"Thank you, Care," Damon said sincerely. She smiled in response and Stefan rose from his seat.
"You ready to go?" he asked her with a hand on the small of her back. They exchanged goodbyes and disappeared out the front door.
He finally stood alone in the aftermath of the war that was fought in his kitchen only an hour prior. With a heavy sigh, he started clearing the table. He took his time, putting the food in plastic Tupperware, washing every dish by hand, and wiping down every surface with a damp cloth. He wasn't scared, per se, to be near Elena, but he didn't know what to say, or how badly she'd been hurt by Giuseppe's words.
He couldn't put off the inevitable any longer, so he trudged up the stairs and slipped silently into their dim room. The light from the bathroom was still on, illuminating her sleeping form. Her makeup had been scrubbed clean, but he could tell her eyes were puffy from crying. He tore his eyes from her and forced himself to go through his normal bedtime routine.
He shut the light off from the bathroom and stripped down to his boxers before climbing into bed on his side. As he settled under the blankets, she awoke and rolled to face him. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and landed on her sad face. His hand lifted to brush a few stray hairs from her face. He allowed the back of his finger to trace the curve of her jaw before it fell back to the mattress.
"How can I fix this?" he whispered.
"Just hold me?" she said softly as she moved across the bed to press herself against his chest.
"I can do that," he said as his arms encircled her small body and held her close to him. Relief ran through him when she let out a satisfied sigh.
He breathed in the smell of her hair and pressed his lips to the top of her head before he allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep.
That was quite a doozy! I hope you all liked it!
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