So long story short? I suck. You guys rock. Big thanks to those of you who voted for me in the Energize WIP awards, I placed 2nd for the Most Promising Vampire Diaries FanFiction. Blew my mind! So awesome! Beyond that…I didn't have internet for over a week so even once I was finished with this chapter I had no way to upload it…and my friend had her baby and a million other excuses….. and honestly? I just suck. But here's Chapter 10. And I super duper promise that Chapter 11 will not take a month! A fricking month…for me to post! Also…how about that Comic-con 'preview' for Season 5? LOVE the Damon portion! I've been over and over and over this chapter…but I'm sure there are errors! Forgive me…or yell at me in a review! :)
Elena
I'm so scared that the way I feel is written all over my face
When you walk into the room I want to find a hiding place
We used to laugh, we used to hug
The way that old friends do
But now a smile and the touch of your hand just makes me come unglued
It's such a contradiction
Do I lie or tell the truth
Is if fact or fiction
Oh the way I feel for you
It so complicated
-"Complicated", Carolyn Dawn Johnson
The city of Richmond passed by in a haze. The past few hours had been a monotonous blur. My hand cramped and I balled it into a fist. I had signed my name to too many pieces of paper to count. Damon had handed them to me and I had signed them. The first few I had read. After a while I stopped reading and just signed. I trusted Damon. I might still be confused and frustrated with him but he wouldn't hand me anything damning to sign my name to.
It had all been a relatively simple affair after that. I had been sworn in. You know, the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The judge asked me a few questions. He perused the file that Damon handed the bailiff, nodded at Alaric with a sad smile and handed the bailiff back the file. The voicemails that Ric had recorded were played for the court to hear. I kept my head down, my eyes on the floor. That voice gave me chills. Knowing he was in a locked cell was only slightly heartening, but his threats still held a power over me even though they no longer should.
"Based on your statement, Miss Gilbert and the accompanying file I am inclined to grant you a preliminary protective order. The accused may not contact you at home, work or via phone. He may not come within 500 yards of your person. This preliminary order is good for the next 15 days once the accused is served. You will be notified once the order has taken effect. In the next two weeks a hearing will be held in which the accused is entitled to state his version of events and you will be given the chance to state yours again. At this time a final protective order may be issued. Should a final protective order be issued it will be valid up to two years. Do you have any questions, Miss Gilbert?" I stared at him blankly for a moment. His eyes were sympathetic when he repeated. "Miss Gilbert?" Damon squeezed my hand and I looked down briefly at our entwined fingers. I hadn't even realized that I was holding it. He ran his thumb over my knuckles.
"Elena." He whispered. "It's okay." I nodded.
"Yes, sir." I said into the microphone in front of me. My voice shook. I cleared my throat. "Yes, sir." I repeated, this time more solidly. Judge Flanagan smiled.
"Good." Alaric, Damon and I stood along with the rest of the courtroom behind us. Damon and Alaric raised their hands in salutes. Damon had whispered to me before the Judge had come in that Judge Flanagan had served in Vietnam with Alaric's father. Judge Flanagan returned the salute. "Always a pleasure, gentlemen." He looked pointedly at Damon. "Take care of her, Mr. Salvatore."
"Yes, sir."
"This court will reconvene in thirty minutes after a brief recess." He banged his gavel and stood. With a whirl of his robes he exited the court room. The rest after that was still a fog. I remembered signing more papers, being handed a very official looking document and being told to keep it on or near my person at all times. I remember being shoved into the Range Rover. And I pored over that document. Over and over and over and over.
I knew it verbatim.
I was reading it again when I noticed that the car had stopped. Damon and Ric were speaking in low tones to each other. I ignored them. If they weren't speaking to me then they didn't want to be overheard. Probably business.
Damon cleared his throat. After a few moments, I realized they weren't speaking to each other anymore and I looked up at him. The look on his face was unreadable. I worried my bottom lip and he sighed. "I've got some business to attend to in Mystic Falls. Ric's going to take you to lunch with Meredith. You call me if you need me. I'll be back after a while, okay?" He was leaving me? My heart clenched, but I forced a smile and a nod. He couldn't always be the one to look after me. And Ric was a good substitute. I turned in the seat to look over my shoulder at Ric. He smiled at me, and winked. The smile that I returned was honest to God genuine. Ric had that kind of effect on me and on people in general I was learning.
I turned back to look at Damon and saw that his eyes had dimmed slightly. The blue they had been a second ago had turned slightly darker. What? What now? I opened my mouth to ask, but he shook his head and slipped out of the car. I turned to look back at Ric but he had gotten out of the car too. They met at the back. Damon tossed him the keys. From what I could see they exchanged a few words. It appeared to get a little heated. Ric pointed his finger at Damon's chest and Damon looked back towards the car at me.
He shook his head and held out his hand. Ric glared at him and threw his keys at Damon's chest. Damon barely caught them. He climbed into the Range Rover parked beside us. He glanced over at me one more time but his expression was definitely unreadable this time through the darkly tinted windows. I held my hand up in a half wave. He dipped his head in acknowledgement a brief semi-friendly smile flickered across his face that I didn't know how to interpret. And then he was gone.
Ric slid into the driver seat beside me. It felt wrong. Awkward. I didn't like it. I still felt safe, but it wasn't the same.
"Would you still like to go to lunch?" He asked softly. "If you don't want to go out, we can have something ordered in. Meredith can come over, I can take you home."
I shook my head, disappointment filtering through me, but I braved a smile for Ric, because this wasn't Ric's fault. "You don't have to take me home. Meredith wants to do lunch? We do lunch." I waved my hand in a nonchalant manner. "Onward, James."
Ric laughed. "Oh! Is that how it's going to be, little Gilbert?" He asked, as he placed his hand behind my headrest and looked behind me to back up. I shrugged a shoulder and buried my head back in the restraining order again. "If you have any questions you can ask me. Or Damon. Either of us will gladly answer any questions you have." I shook my head, but didn't turn to look at him. "We'll keep you safe, Elena." He said softly. I didn't respond. I couldn't. I knew they would both do everything in their power to keep me safe. I just wasn't sure how long it could possibly last.
The ride to the clinic was a silent one and when Alaric pulled the car into the busy parking lot I looked up startled to realize we were already there. He sat there for a minute while I adjusted and I glanced over at him. "I can't leave you in the car." He said finally after I made no move whatsoever to exit the vehicle.
"Oh." I whispered. "Yeah. I wasn't thinking." I stuffed the papers into my purse and slung it up onto my shoulder. I reached for my door handle.
"Wait for me, please." He said gently, placing his hand over mine. I nodded.
He came around to my side of the car and opened my door. I stepped out with his assistance and we walked into the bustling clinic. Phones were ringing continuously, babies were crying, machines were humming, the tv was running, people were talking. It was your typical busy office, definitely a switch of pace from Executive Protection this morning. Ric guided me quickly over to Meredith's personal office. He smiled sweetly at the receptionist.
"Mr Saltzman! I'll let her know you're here! She just took her last patient back so she shouldn't be too much longer!"
"Thanks, Renee! We're just going to wait in her office." She nodded and picked up the phone, balancing it delicately between her shoulder and ear as she scribbled on a Post-it pulled up the schedule planner.
I didn't even take the opportunity to admire Meredith's office like I probably should have. As soon as Ric shut the door and my cheeks hit the seat I pulled my papers back out of my purse and began looking over them again. I could tell by the change in his breathing that Ric wanted to say something but he wisely held it in. "I know it hasn't changed." I told him.
He must have contemplated his choice of words before he spoke, because it was a few minutes before he responded. "No. It hasn't. But that doesn't mean it's not important to you. And I don't know that anything I or Damon can say can change your feelings on it. If it makes you feel safe or secure to read it, then read it."
Before I could reply Meredith breezed into her office, her lab coat floating behind her. "Alaric! Elena!" She announced excitedly. She hung her coat on the back of her door. She smiled at Ric and assessed me briefly before reaching down to give me a hug. "God, I'm so ready to get out of here and eat! Are you guys hungry? I'm starved! What are you hungry for? I'm craving grilled chicken and a good balsamic vinaigrette and I can get that just about anywhere. So we can go wherever you guys are thinking!" She gave Ric a brief side hug and braced her hands on her hips before fiddling with her computer for a second. Ric's mouth quirked up into a smile. He winked at me. "Sorry I'm rambling; it's been such a day! Let's go before I get roped into another patient." She typed something off, smacked enter on the keyboard and turned off her monitor. Snatching up her purse, she tugged me up out of my chair, leaving Alaric to trail behind us. "C'mon Saltzman!" She called over her shoulder.
She chirped at Renee and waved at a few patients as we walked out the door, announcing that she had her cell and pager should any emergencies come up, though she gave me a look as we finally exited the building that clearly said she prayed that no such thing happened. We paused at the car as Ric caught up. He opened the door for me first, indicating that I needed to get in the front seat and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Meredith can sit up front." I told him, gesturing at her to move up to the door. She shook her head and said nothing.
"Just get in, little Gilbert." He said with a thrust of his chin and a brief sigh. I sighed too, though mine might have been a little more frustrated and climbed in. Meredith was next, though she took a little longer to get in. I kept my face forward, and refused to look in the side or rearview mirrors to give them a little privacy.
Ric rattled off the name of a restaurant and Meredith agreed heartily. I had never heard of it, so I shrugged. "It's good." Meredith said, leaning forward in the backseat. I turned to look at her. "Their salads are amazing and they have excellent sandwiches and burgers and chicken and pasta and basically everything on the menu is good." She grinned. "You'll like it." I nodded and turned to face forward. "Is Damon going to be joining us?" I bit my lip and glanced at Ric, letting him answer the question.
"He had some business in Mystic Falls. He should be back in a few hours." Ric told her, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Oh." She said, whipping out her phone. "That's right. You guys won the deal with my uncle, right? The install started this morning?"
I watched Ric carefully, because I was in the dark as to Damon's 'business' in Mystic Falls and wanted to know what he was really doing and why he was being so secretive. It was worrisome. I knew he couldn't tell me everything, but given all the recent events I didn't like that he was keeping secrets. Especially about Mystic Falls. "We did win the deal. And the install did start this morning. We have the Mikaelson's overseeing that project. Damon's business in Mystic Falls lies elsewhere."
What the hell did that mean? I continued to stare at him. And he continued to stare straight ahead. He knew I was watching him. His business lies elsewhere? Meredith was silent in the back. She knew Alaric was being cryptic as hell too. Lots of things were in Mystic Falls. But two things struck a chord that I couldn't shake. Mason. But Mason was still in jail. So why the hell would Damon drive all the way to Mystic Falls to see Mason? He wouldn't. That left Stefan. But why wouldn't Ric and or Damon just come out and say that Damon was going to see his brother? Unless it was something else entirely. Jesus. I was going to give myself a headache just trying to figure these men out.
Either way, during our 'talk' tonight, Damon Salvatore was going to come clean with me. We were going to talk about his 'business' in Mystic Falls and why he felt he couldn't tell me why he was going. I sighed. Ric glanced briefly over at me, smiled reluctantly like he knew what I was thinking. Damn him. He probably did.
"He'll tell you." Ric whispered softly.
I shook my head at him. "Doubtful." I responded. I turned to look out my window, signaling my end to the conversation. Ric noted it like the super observant man he was. I would always be thankful for that. Meredith seemed to take the hint too. A happy little chime came from somewhere in the vicinity of my purse. I leaned down to dig through it, delighted to discover an email from Caroline.
Word is Tyler and Mason found you! Are you okay? Please let me know you're okay! I'm super worried about you….though the fact that I haven't heard anything from Tyler in over 24 hours gives me hope that maybe his ass got thrown in jail or that your new boy toy…..well, it's probably better not said in email. Call me! Or email me back. PLEASE. If I don't hear back from you by the end of today I'm asking my mom to check with her contacts with the Richmond Sheriff Dept. Please don't make me involve her!
CALL ME!
Love, Care
I set the phone down in my lap and rubbed my temple. I know she meant well, but I didn't need her tied up in all of my drama. A quick reply should soothe her. For now. Hopefully. I just had to cross my fingers and pray for the best.
Care,
I'm alright. Long story short, yes. They did find me last night but didn't get anywhere near me. And yes, they're in jail. I'll call you when I can. Promise. It will probably be a couple of days when things calm down. Thanks for checking up on me. Talk to you soon!
Elena
I didn't even notice that we were parked when I finally looked up from my phone after hitting send. "Oh." I said, shoving my phone into my bag. "I'm so sorry." I said, reaching for the door handle. Ric immediately, held out his hand preventing me from opening the door.
"Don't apologize." Meredith said from the backseat. "We just got here."
"Elena." He warned. "Wait for me." Meredith exited the vehicle and was waiting on the curb when we finally joined her. I frowned at Ric. Why was he paying all the attention to me and not Meredith? We walked into the restaurant, flanked by Ric. Meredith was chatting my ear off though I was only half listening. Ric sat us on a bench to wait, while he spoke to the hostess a short distance away. He kept his body turned towards us while doing so. I never took my eyes off of him. I kept my purse in my lap, the handles in my hand, the paper clearly visible in my line of view. In fact I could clearly make out the first paragraph. If I turned my head just so I could read the second.
"You're fidgety." Meredith remarked. I looked up from my purse.
I clutched the handles tighter, like it was my lifesaver, my own personal flotation device. The piece of paper in there certainly felt like it. Like my saving grace. I quickly darted a glance at Alaric who was leaning casually against the wall on the other side of the small restaurant lobby. He was watching the both of us with a relaxed smile on his face. His hands were in his pockets and though he looked indifferent and relaxed I knew he was anything but. There was tension in his shoulders. His hands were inches from his waist and anytime he shifted, his suit jacket would move and I would catch a glimpse of the gun holstered on his hip.
Ric's phone rang and I jumped. Meredith reached down for my hand. "Your burn looks better this morning. You've used the cream?" She asked. I nodded absently, not taking my eyes off of Ric as he answered his phone. His eyes were intent on mine, full of sympathy as he nodded.
"Thank you. I'll let her know." He disconnected and slid the phone into his pants pocket. "He's been served. The order is in effect." He said softly. The breath I hadn't been aware I'd been holding left my lungs in a loud whoosh. Meredith squeezed my hand and I closed my eyes. There was something in his voice though, something he wasn't saying. I heard it, but I didn't want to hear it. I think I knew deep down what he was getting ready to say. Meredith's hand tightened even more around mine. She knew it too. I took a deep breath, held it.
"He's out." I whispered softly.
"He made bail an hour ago." Ric confirmed. I nodded and swallowed thickly. Ric was suddenly in front of me. "Hey." He whispered. "He's well on his way back to Mystic Falls." I laughed softly, opened my eyes and looked down at him. "How long do you think Salvatore would let me live if something happened to you on my watch?"
I cracked a smile. "I don't know. He's been real pissy all morning. Might be relieved to be rid of me."
Ric barked a short laugh. "You're real funny, little Gilbert." He raised an eyebrow. "He's had about eight hours of sleep over the past four days, Elena." Ric said gently. "When he gets home this evening, I plan on taking him around the ring a few times. Tire his ass out. He's grumpy. Needs his ass kicked."
My smile widened. I turned my head to see Meredith smiling as well. "Just make sure he's able to keep his promise to me afterwards tonight. That's all I ask." Ric waggled his eyebrows in a horrible imitation of something Damon did so well. I laughed. "Please, don't. He promised we'd talk."
"Saltzman, party of three?" The hostess announced. Alaric stood and offered us both a hand. I slid my arm through his. The hostess walked us to the table and we walked three deep, Meredith on his left arm and I on his right. Three days ago, if you had told me that I'd be walking through a restaurant on the arm of a man I'd known for only three days who had a woman on his other arm I would have laughed in your face. And then checked to make sure someone around us hadn't overheard you who would go run and tattle to Mason. But here I was. Funny how quickly life can change.
Alaric sat me on the inside of the booth, before sliding in beside me. Meredith sat across from us. When I frowned at him, he shook his head.
"Why aren't you sitting next to Meredith?" I asked him.
Meredith smiled. "You can't be that exposed." She said softly.
Oh. "But I thought…"
"He is." Ric replied. "But that doesn't mean that we'll take any chances with you. You'll always sit next to one of us." Dread filled me. So it wasn't over. It would never be over. Even with this protective order, I wasn't safe. I couldn't relax, couldn't be out in public without wondering if Mason or one of his goons was going to pop up somewhere and do God knows what. I blew out a tense breath. "It's all just precautionary." I nodded.
When our waiter walked up, we ordered our drinks and I buried my head in the menu allowing Meredith and Ric to keep up the conversation. Once I finally decided what I was planning on ordering I peeked over the top of the menu. Meredith winked subtly at me and continued conversing with Ric. I ducked back down into my menu. Our waiter returned with our drinks and took our order and our menus. And my effective hiding place.
Ric half turned to me, opened his mouth but I jumped in. "I need to use the restroom." I blurted out. He closed his mouth, and slid out of the booth, offered me his hand. I took it, keeping my head down.
"I'll go with you." Meredith offered, looping her arm through mine.
"I don't need a babysitter." I protested.
"We know." Meredith answered.
We walked off in the direction she led me in and I knew without even bothering to look over my shoulder that Ric was right behind us.
"Seriously?" I huffed. She laughed softly.
"Seriously." He answered from behind us. "Might as well get used to it, darlin'. If it's not me, it'll be Damon." I rolled my eyes. Meredith pulled me forward again.
"He's right. Might as well get used to it." She sighed softly.
"He's going to follow me to the bathroom?"
"He's going to follow you everywhere." Meredith answered. I pulled my lips inward and repressed a groan. Awesome. For some reason, it had been building since we had picked her up, the idea churning in the back of my mind. All of a sudden it pushed to the forefront. I frowned, I looked over at her. I opened my mouth to ask, but she beat me to it. "He's dead." She said, anticipating my question as she pushed open the bathroom door and I followed her inside. My jaw dropped and the door shut behind us loudly. I jumped. I had half expected Ric to follow us into the bathroom.
"What?" I asked, still a little shell shocked.
"Why doesn't Ric follow me everywhere I go?" She asked as she disappeared into a stall.
I stood there in the center of the bathroom, completing forgetting my excuse for leaving the table and stared at the stall in which she had disappeared into. My brain had ceased functioning. I was waiting for it to catch up.
"Uh…yeah." I finally responded. Eloquent, Elena. Really good with the words there.
"Because the poor excuse for a man who used to abuse me is no longer living." Meredith said rather nonchalantly.
Oh. My shoulders jerked back and my mouth closed but then dropped open again. When the stall door opened again, Meredith smiled sympathetically at the look on my face. "Don't you have to go?" She asked, waving her hand at the three open stalls behind her.
"Yes, but…" Suddenly it wasn't all that important. "What…."
"What happened?" Maybe Meredith was telepathic too. She sure as hell was picking all of my questions right out of my brain.
"Drug overdose." She said as she washed hands, only she didn't just wash, she scrubbed. It was fascinating to watch. I frowned. She looked up and met my wide eyes in the mirror. She jerked her head back towards the stalls. "Go. And I'll tell you." I resisted the urge to stomp my foot. But I slipped into a stall. "I threatened to leave him two years ago." She said casually. "He got ahold of some of my prescription pain meds for the broken arm that he had gifted me with, mixed those with his illegally purchased pain meds, threw in some alcohol for good measure and that was all he wrote." I slowly opened the door, not sure how to face her after that revelation. "I found him when I got home from my shift that night. Believe it or not it was the best gift he ever gave me." She said softly. I sniffled. She shook her head. "Don't cry for me."
I hurried over to wash my hands and after I had quickly dried them off I embraced her, hugging her tightly. "I'm not." I mumbled. "Promise."
She laughed lightly. "Well then I'm not laughing at you." She said. "Promise." She pulled back, held me by my shoulders. "I'm no longer in danger, Elena. Mason may well be on his way back to Mystic Falls and he might abide by the protective order but he might not. And Alaric and Damon are more inclined to believe he might not. It's in their nature to believe he might not. It's how they operate. I know it sucks, but until he's permanently behind bars they're going to dog your heels." She smiled. "Look. It could be worse. At least they're both arm candy. You'll be the envy of women everywhere." I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her.
I sighed. "I just wish it didn't have to be this way."
"It won't be forever."
I nodded. Together we walked out of the restroom to find Alaric standing directly across from the door. He inclined his head. He met my eyes first; searching them quickly to make sure everything was alright. I gave him a half smile. He grinned at me, and then turned his eyes to give Meredith a quick look over. She beamed at him and he beamed right back. We walked back to our booth single file Meredith, myself then Ric.
Our food didn't take long and without my menu to hide behind I was forced to take part in the conversation, though Meredith and Ric were easy to converse with. Halfway through our meal a former client stepped up to the table to greet Ric. Ric politely introduced us and when Mr. Allen had a question regarding a potential job Alaric stood to escort him a discreet distance away, where he could still observe Meredith and I but also give himself and Mr. Allen some privacy. Meredith took this opportunity to offer her two cents.
"He's crazy about you, you know." Meredith whispered, though why she was whispering I had no idea. Ric couldn't hear us, not from the distance away he was. Though he did turn his head to smile at her, leaving me to wonder if he truly was telepathic. Freak, I thought humouredly.
"Who?" I asked my eyes still on Ric. Meredith was watching him too, trying to gauge the time she had before he returned to the table. "Ric? No, he's not!"
I turned back to her and she grinned at me. "No! Not Ric! Damon." She raised an eyebrow.
I raised both eyebrows at her, Damon style. Shaking my head emphatically at her, I told her. "You're crazy! The way he's been acting today and last night you'd think he can't wait to get rid of me." I said as I sipped my tea, hoping she wouldn't notice the way my hand fluttered. I picked up my napkin, folded it and then hid my hands in my lap all the while secretly playing with the napkin. I needed to keep my hands busy. Habit.
"Well, woman to woman?" Meredith said, leaning forward as Ric looked our way again checking on us. She smiled at him coyly, waved her fingers. He grinned. "You said your brother had a nice long chat with him yesterday, right?" I nodded. "And then when you talked to your brother, he warned you about Damon being a changed man?" I nodded again, swallowed thickly. "I'm willing to bet your brother warned him off of you, Elena. Told him to stay away."
My jaw dropped. "It's none of his business!" I shouted, probably a bit louder than I should have in a crowded restaurant. My eyes widened as did Meredith's. I slapped my hand over my mouth.
"No, it's not. But he's just looking out for his sister. Or he thinks he is. You're not ready for a relationship, Elena. And honestly, Damon's probably not ready either. But the two of you…." Meredith got all dreamy eyed.
"The two of them what?" Ric asked, sliding back into the booth next to me.
"None of your business." Meredith replied quickly with a slight blush to her cheeks.
Alaric reached over the table and plucked a cherry tomato off of Meredith's salad and popped it into her his mouth. He turned to look at me. "You're the calm to his crazy." He said matter of factly. Meredith eyed him distrustfully for a moment, then turned and nodded at me in full agreement a second later.
"But that doesn't mean…" I protested, my shoulders dropping in frustration. I sighed.
"Trust me." Alaric responded. "It means." He dipped his chin, looking down at me over his nose. He emphasized the 'means'.
"I can't believe I'm having this conversation right now." I muttered, covering my eyes with my hands. Meredith laughed lightly.
"You're among friends." She said softly.
It was my turn to laugh. "Who I didn't even know a few days ago!" I shook my head.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
I blew out a tense breath. I shook my head again, dropped my hands. I met her eyes and looked pleadingly at her. "I don't know what I am right now, besides a hot mess."
Meredith smiled an encouraging smile, flicked her eyes briefly at Alaric, who suddenly developed an extreme interest in his phone and slid out of the booth, muttering an "I'll be right over here. Phone call to make."
"I don't know anyone who, after going through what you've been through in the past few years and certainly the last few days who wouldn't be a hot mess. So don't apologize or feel like you have any reason to be anything other than a hot mess." Meredith looked over my shoulder and leaned closer. "But don't fool yourself into thinking that Damon's doing all of this out of some misguided attempt to play the brotherly hero. His feelings towards you are in no way brotherly." I stared at her for a minute before opening my mouth but she cut me off with, "And I've seen the way you look at him too, Elena."
"I'm just grateful he was in the right place at the right time." I told her.
Meredith made a face. "Elena."
"He's one of my best friends."
She pursed her lips. "Elena."
"He saved me. I'm grateful."
"Elena."
"Isn't that normal? Kind of like, I don't know. Hero worship?" I shrugged my shoulders, desperate for her to agree with me, to confirm that everything I had been feeling over the past few days was just gratitude. Not some left over remnants of my childhood and teenage crush.
"I don't think hero worship is the reason your eyes twinkle when he looks at you."
"Twinkle." I repeated. I didn't do that. There's no way I was that transparent. Shit. Was I? "My eyes twinkle?"
She grinned. "And you blush?"
Now wait a minute! I held up a finger. "I blush at everything."
She continued like I hadn't even interrupted. "Your feelings for him are quite real, Elena. It's written all over your face. How long have you loved him?" She asked me gently. I felt my face grow hot. See? I was blushing! I looked down at the table. Shit. Damned insightful doctor. Her pager beeped and buzzed, dancing across the table. "Hell." She cursed. I turned my head discreetly to watch out of the corner of my eye as she picked it up and began pressing buttons. She made a disappointed clucking sound with her tongue. She lifted her hand and waved at someone. Ric slid back into the booth beside me a minute later.
"Tab is paid." He said, taking a quick look at my still burning cheeks.
"I could've paid for my meal, Alaric." I said, with a huff.
"Non-negotiable, darlin'. Business lunch."
I frowned at him. "This wasn't a business lunch."
He laughed, jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "That phone call? Business." I shook my head at him. "Mr. Allen earlier? Business. Although I would've paid anyway. You won't ever go to lunch with me and pay. Please. My daddy would roll over in his grave." He popped a mint into his mouth, offered one to me and then Meredith.
"Thank you." I said, meeting his eyes. "For lunch." I held up the mint. "And this."
"Always my pleasure, darlin'." He murmured. "Ready whenever you two ladies are." Meredith slid out first and Ric helped me out. He noticed though that I wasn't looking at Meredith. "Everything okay?" He asked me, leaning down to whisper in my ear. I pulled away instinctively, my shoulder automatically coming up to push him away. Meredith was walking ahead, already talking on her cell phone.
"I'm fine." Programmed response.
He stopped me with a gentle hand on my elbow. "Elena. If you're not, I need you to tell me. Did Mer say something?" He looked ahead at her, already standing at the car, while we were still in the restaurant having yet to walk out the doors.
I wasn't going to answer, but I knew he was made of the same stubborn grit Damon was. "She needs to get back to work. We should get going." I responded. A non answer. I started walking.
"Elena." He stopped me again. "You're upset and I don't like it. If Mer said something…" I shook my head.
"I'm upset with myself, Alaric. It's not something she said, it's something she observed." I spit out, frustrated that he had dragged it out of me. That I had to admit it or he'd never let it go. "I'm just apparently incredibly naïve and incredibly obvious."
Ric nodded perceptibly, glanced towards her. "I'll speak with her."
"No." I reached out, placed his hand on his arm. "That's not necessary. Jeez." I didn't need to be rescued every time I turned around. It was nice that he cared but honestly! I smiled at him. "Thanks though, Ric." I stepped into him quickly, slipping my arms around his waist and squeezing tight. Before he could even react I pulled away and sprinted to the car.
I was already inside the car and buckling my seatbelt by the time Alaric made it into the car. I dug through my purse looking for my phone, eager to distract myself with anything other than a conversation with the two of them. Once I found it I hastily tapped the Candy Crush app, the stupidly addictive game that I swear the next time I saw Rose I was going to punch her in the kidney for telling me to download it. Out of the corner of my eye I realized Ric was staring straight ahead and he didn't look happy. And though we were all in the vehicle, we hadn't moved. Uh-oh.
"Don't ever run away like that again." He said. Meredith was busy talking on the phone so I knew she wasn't listening, but I still felt like the scolded child.
"I'm sorry…"I whispered. Shit. I cowered.
"You can't run away like that." He turned towards me slowly, sensing that he had frightened me seconds ago. He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put it that way, shouldn't have…." He hung his head. "I can't protect you if….If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself. And Salvatore would…"
"I'm sorry." I repeated. "I wasn't thinking."
He sighed. "Just please, Elena. Don't do it again." He shook his head, and then grinned at me. And I was completely and utterly confused. Until he opened his mouth. "The hug though? You can do that anytime you want, darlin'."
Any tension or apprehension I had melted away and I shook my head and laughed. Alaric just had one of those personalities that you just couldn't stay mad at. It was probably why he and Damon were such good friends.
Meredith was obviously wrapping up her conversation in the back. "Yeah. We're on our way back, now. I'll be there in ten. Put her in exam room 3. Thanks Renee!" She chucked her phone into her purse and then popped her head in between the seats. "So! What'd I miss?"
My forgotten phone buzzed in my lap and I glanced down at it. My heart thrummed faster in my chest.
Just heard. Do you want me to come back? Can be there in a little over an hour if you need me. –D
I typed out a quick reply. I was so glad he texted like an adult, and not a teenage boy. Those 'u's and 'b's and '2's and lack of punctuation really got on my nerves. If you're in a hurry, it's understandable, but come on. It takes two extra seconds to type out the word. It's how Mason used to text.
I'm fine. Finish up your business in MF. Thanks though, for checking in. Means a lot. I'll see you later? : ) –E
His answer was almost immediate.
You're more important. If anything changes all you have to do is call, I'll head back. And you'll most definitely see me later. ; ) –D
Well he'd certainly done a 180. Maybe we just needed to communicate via text from now on. My smile must have been splitting my face when I put my phone back in my purse I looked up at Alaric who was mysteriously silent. He was grinning like a fool. "What?" I asked him.
He shook his head, the smile never leaving his face. "Nothing, little Gilbert." He looked in the rearview mirror slyly. I turned to look in the backseat to see Meredith grinning too.
"What?" I asked her, though I was still a little upset with her for pointing out what I wasn't really ready to deal with.
She pulled her lips inward, like she was trying to repress her smile. "Nothing, Elena." She said. I turned back around in my seat, crossed my arms.
"Whatever." I muttered under my breath. I was surrounded by crazies.
Damon
You didn't ask for this, nobody ever would
Caught in the middle of this dysfunction
Its your sad reality, It's your messed up family tree
And now you're left with all these questions
Are you going to be like your father was and his father was
Do you have to carry what they've handed down?
No, this is not your legacy, this is not your destiny
Yesterday does not define you
-"Family Tree", Matthew West
He sat with his back to the room. Idiot. Ranger 101. Well, not really. But honestly, never sit with your back to the room. He took a minute to observe him. He looked older. Drugs would do that to you. And he was slouching. A 26 year old shouldn't slouch. Damon shook his head and slid into the booth across from him, perched himself so that he could see everything. He was alert, ready for anything. Had to be. He didn't know what to expect. And that was sad, especially since this was his own damn brother. But Mason Lockwood was out. And Damon was in his 'territory' so to speak.
Stefan looked up, a delayed reaction and scowled. It added another five years to his face. Jesus. "What are you doing to yourself, Stef?" Damon asked him softly, shaking his head.
"Hello, Damon. How the hell are ya? Missed ya. Been a while. I mean, don't waste time on any fucking pleasantries." Stefan spit out.
"Hey. How are you Stefan? I have missed you." Damon amended.
"Right. As to your first question, what the hell you do care?"
Damon sighed. "I care because I'm your goddamned brother, Stef. I'm the only family you've got left. Beside the fact that you've screwed up everything good in your life, I'm here to help you."
"To help me?" Stefan scoffed. Their waitress walked up to the booth and seeing the tension turned around and walked away quickly. "Where the hell were you three years ago?"
Damon nodded and swallowed thickly. "I couldn't stay then, Stef." Damon said in a low voice.
Stefan shook his head, looked away. "That was when I needed you most." Damon crossed his arms, completely uncomfortable with this conversation and not expecting this topic or turn of events at all. He had prepared himself for several things upon seeing Stefan. Anger, disgust, resentment, but he hadn't prepared himself for this. His heart wrenched to see his brother hurting like this. But others were hurting worse, and there were other things that needed discussing. He hadn't come here to discuss Stefan's feelings. He walled off his heart. Something he'd had to do many times on many missions. He could mend his relationship with his brother later.
"Where were you when Elena needed you?" Damon asked. "When your dealer was beating her?" Stefan raised his lip in a snarl. "After you stole her money and kicked her out of your house. Who the hell are you? Who have you become?"
Stefan shook his head. "And who are you to waltz back into town and just fucking take over, huh? You make a beeline for my girl…"
"She's not your girl anymore, Stefan."
Stefan scoffed. "Never mattered to you though, did it?" He glared at Damon through his sunglasses. "I saw the way you looked at her, the way you watched her. Ironic, the way you hightailed it out of here that summer after the whole lost in the woods debacle, isn't it? Signed up for Basic real quick. Something happen that night, Damon?" Damon turned away, afraid Stefan would see it in his eyes. He said nothing. "Yeah. I thought so." Stefan leaned forward, whispered across the table. "Did you fuck her?"
Damon whipped his head back around, met his brother's glare. He ground his teeth, swallowed his retort and gripped the table top with all the force in his body. He shook visibly. "Watch your mouth." He growled.
Stefan smirked. "You didn't answer my question."
Damon blinked, swallowed. "You're my brother. And I love you. That is all that is stopping me from jumping this table and beating you fucking bloody."
Stefan laughed and it was a bitter laugh. "So you haven't then? It's a shame. She does this thing with…" Damon leapt up so fast that Stefan never saw him coming. He pinned Stefan to the back of the booth, one hand wrapped around his throat. The outraged cries and shocked gasps of the patrons of the diner went completely ignored as Damon got in Stefan's face. Damon heard one of the staff yell that they were dialing 911 over Stefan's gasps for air. Good, he hadn't seen Sheriff Forbes in quite some time.
"Apologize." Damon growled.
Stefan's sunglasses slipped off of his face, confirming Damon's suspicions as Stefan's fingers clawed at Damon's hand. Damon loosened his grip just enough to allow Stefan air into his lungs. But Damon had a good fifty pounds on Stefan and certainly more muscle and extensive training.
"Apologize!" Damon repeated.
"I'm sorry!" Stefan spit out. "I'm fucking sorry! Jesus! Let me go, Damon!" Damon released his hold, leaving Stefan to gasp for air. Damon gracefully slid off the table. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit pants and dug in his back pocket for his wallet. After he handed the waitress two one hundred dollar bills for the trouble he stuck it back in his pocket.
"We'll just wait for the Sheriff outside." He told her with a polite nod. "Sorry for the trouble. Family squabble." He winked, flashed his most charming smile and yanked Stefan out of the booth. Once he was standing, he grabbed his brother by the scruff of his neck and escorted him out of the diner. He paraded his brother over to the Range Rover much like a police officer would march a man soon to be arrested to the patrol car. Leaning him up against the car, he pushed his back up against it. Damon crossed his arms, spread his feet and rooted himself to the ground. Stefan stayed put. He didn't really have much choice. "I'm about to go out on a limb here, and bet that you're as high as a fucking kite." Stefan rolled his eyes, but he looked away. Wouldn't make eye contact. Bingo. Damon hunched his shoulders, lowered his head and forced Stefan to meet his gaze. "Believe it or not, I'm trying to help you here, Stef."
Stefan snorted. "Sounds more like you're trying to narc on me." Stefan rubbed his hand up under his nose, looked down at the ground. "You finally answer my phone calls," he gestured wildly, "tell me to meet you here, assault me and now that the fucking cops are on their way I'm the one that'll be arrested!"
"I'm not trying to narc on you, Stefan." Damon said urgently. "Help me, Stefan. I need your help." He really did. Damon heard the sirens and he knew he was running out of time.
Stefan shook his head. He scoffed. "How could I possibly help you? Why would I want to help you? You got the girl. You got Mason locked up. I'm a good for nothing druggie."
Damon's heart sped up, desperation beginning to bleed through his words. "Mason's out, Stefan. And he'll be coming after Elena. Help me put him away."
Stefan straightened then, lifted his chin defiantly. "Hell no! I'm not a rat, Damon."
Damon pointed his finger at Stefan's chest, poked him hard. "You owe her! You got her into this mess. Help me help her. I can get you help; can get you into a good rehab facility. I can get you clean! Tell us where he deals, where he keeps his drugs, who his distributors are." Damon pled. Stefan shook his head again, he held out his hands in front of him waving them around like a lunatic.
"No way, brother. Not for you, not for Elena. He'll kill me!"
"The information you have on him will put him away for a long time, they'll cut you a deal. I can help you negotiate it!"
"His brother…" Stefan protested
Damon stepped up and grasped Stefan's shoulders. Stefan had a rebuttal for everything Damon threw at him. He had to do this! "His brother cannot get him out of drug trafficking charges. Not felony ones! And between the file my partner and I have compiled on all the shit he's done to Elena…"
Flashing blue lights pulled into the parking lot. Sheriff Forbes stepped out of her car. She frowned at Damon before flitting her eyes to Stefan. Her many years on the job assessed the situation immediately. She took in Stefan's bloodshot eyes, his pose and the aggressive stance. "Damon." She said, while keeping her eyes on Stefan. Damon immediately let go of his brother, took a few steps back. "Welcome home."
"Thanks Sheriff." He said softly.
"Can't have you causing this kind of ruckus in my town, though." She made eye contact with him and he felt truly admonished. It had been a while since he'd felt that way. He nodded.
"Sorry, Sheriff." Damon sighed, and looked over at his brother who was studiously avoiding the Sheriff's gaze.
"Stefan. You're looking a little worse for wear." She remarked. She took her penlight out of her breast pocket, shined it in his eyes, and watched his pupils. "Have you been using today?" He looked down at the ground. She shook her head. "Dammit, Stefan. Turn around. Hands behind your back. You're in violation of your parole."
Damon's heart sunk watching the scene unfold before him, watching his little brother handcuffed, being read his Miranda rights and stuffed into the backseat of a patrol car. "Sheriff…" Damon approached her as she was searching Stefan's car.
"I can't let him go, Damon." She said as she opened and shut his glove compartment after rifling through the papers. She dug in between the seats.
"I'm not asking you to, but I think he might be of some use to you. He has some valuable information." Damon offered. Liz Forbes poked her head out of the bar and stood up. She sighed.
"Look, Damon. I know you're just back to town, and you're trying to help. I've seen this too many times, they have to want to help themselves." She took Damon aside, out of earshot as she waved a deputy over to continue the search of the car. "Your parent's death hit him hard and seeing Elena with Mason Lockwood hurts him too. I don't think he knows any other way to deal." Damon shook his head.
"You might be right about my parents, Sheriff, but you're way off base about Elena. He left her, kicked her out. And Lockwood isn't the town choir boy he's made out to be. He's Stefan's dealer. He's been beating Elena for the past two years. Those burns on her hands? The bruises? It's all him. Her accidents? Mason Lockwood."
The Sheriff cocked her head at him, "Those are pretty big accusations, Damon." She said, crossing her arms.
"They're not accusations, Sheriff. I've got a file in my car, would you like to see it? Hospital records, voicemails, the PPO issued just today. I've got pictures taken by a physician of the bruises, her scars." Damon shuddered and closed his eyes. "The domestic violence won't get him put away, not for long enough. The PPO won't stop him. You know it won't. He came after her last night, she left him on Saturday. You know what he gets away with; you just turn a blind eye to it." Damon lowered his voice. "Lockwood doesn't conduct business out of his house, Elena never saw where he deals, she can't testify. But Stefan knows. Convince Stefan to help you. I've tried. If Stefan turns, Stefan can put him away for a long time. Please Sheriff. Help me save her." Sheriff Liz Forbes was watching him wide eyed, taking it all in. He definitely had her attention. "Help me save him. I can get him into rehab, I can clean him up. I'm home now. For good. Help me. Please, Liz."
She swallowed hard. Looking around to see who was watching, who was listening she was satisfied to see that everyone appeared to be doing something, searching Stefan's car or filling out paperwork far enough away as to not overhear their conversation. Damon glanced over at the patrol car to see Stefan was watching the both of them with a mixture of resentment and trepidation. She nodded. "Let me see this file." She said. Damon's sigh of relief was profound. He smiled and led the way to the Range Rover.
The drive back to Mystic Falls seemed to take forever. Likely because he was brooding. He seemed to do that a lot on the drives back from Mystic Falls. Liz had promised to do what she could. She'd take a crack at Stefan the first chance she got, but it was a long shot. She honestly didn't think that Stefan would turn on Mason. In the mean time, she'd look in to Mason covertly; see if she could discover the location he dealt out of. She couldn't give the Mayor a heads up and several of her deputies were very close with him.
Damon drove with one hand on the wheel, his elbow rested on the window ledge his head braced on his hand. This was a living nightmare. He sighed deeply. On the plane ride home a few short months ago, he really hadn't seen his first meeting with Stefan going down like that. He'd pictured coming home, seeing his brother sickeningly happy with his girlfriend most likely fiancée and had been devising a somewhat devious plan on how to break them up. Was he proud of it? No. Absolutely not. But it was what it was.
His phone rang, jolting him from his thoughts, blaring through the car speakers. He answered without glancing at the number. It could be Elena. "Salvatore."
"Damon, glad I caught you." Damon wrinkled his brow. That statement could mean many things. Both bad and good.
"Elijah. What's up?" Damon replied.
"Just checking in. Everything's on schedule. I'm not really needed here. I was going to swing by the office later, have a sit down with you." That sounded ominous.
Damon frowned. "What's wrong?"
Elijah laughed his slightly peculiar slightly accented laugh. "Nothing's wrong, boss. Just wanted to go over the specs with you. Debrief you on the governor for next week. And apologize for my brother this morning."
Damon scoffed. "No apology needed. I'm well accustomed to Nik's temper."
"Yes, well. He's still my brother. I feel responsible."
Damon's mouth quirked. "I understand all too well, my friend." Damon glanced down at his watch. "I'm actually on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. Have you left the site yet? I can swing by. Otherwise I should be back in the office around four."
"I am off site, so a four o'clock would be perfect. I've got a few errands to run, some supplies to pick up."
Damon nodded, though he knew Elijah could not see his response. "Well, I'll see you in the office at four, then."
"Sounds good boss. Bye, Salvatore."
"Later, Mikaelson." Damon disconnected using the controls on the steering wheel and sighed.
Should he call Elena? No. He didn't know what kind of mood she was in. Sure she'd reacted well to his texts earlier but they still had a lot to talk about. A lot. And he didn't want to delve into that over the phone. It was definitely a face to face conversation. He was actually looking forward to it, to opening up to her. It might be therapeutic. Might be just what he needed.
He was still pondering exactly what he was going to say to her, how much he would reveal when he pulled into Executive Protection's parking lot. He parked the borrowed Range Rover next to his own.
The cop car parked haphazardly on the other side gave him heart palpitations.
Fuck! He knew he shouldn't have left her. He should have taken her with him. He trusted Ric. Trusted Ric with his life trusted him with Elena but Jesus! Why the fuck didn't anyone call him? He left the keys in the ignition, the door wide open. He leapt out of the SUV and raced towards the building. His heart was in his throat as he threw open the door, surprised it didn't rip off the hinges. It most certainly would've slammed against the outer wall were it not for the safety latch at the top.
He came to a standstill at the sight before him. Elena was curled up on the couch in the lobby, casually chatting it up with Mutt in his uniform like they were the best of friends. He felt his face contort in rage. Goddamnit! Everyone turned to look at him like he was some exhibition on display for all to see. Fuck this! Damon shook his head and turned to walk back outside, needing a moment to cool off. He slammed his hand against the glass pane of the door, pushing it open violently before exiting the office.
"Damon?" She asked softly from behind him. He caught a flashing glimpse of her in the glass as the door swung shut. She had stood up swiftly, looked like she was getting ready to follow him. Not wise. He braced his hands on his hips as he walked back to the Range Rover, took deep solid breaths, breathed in and out. Slowly. In. Out. He shut the door to the Range Rover after reaching in to grab the keys.
"She's alright." He muttered to himself. "She's fine. She's not in danger. Never was. Not today." He resisted the urge to break something, like the window. He could almost hear Ric whispering in his ear 'company property!' It wasn't a good enough deterrent. Elena was. Not wanting Elena to see him break down was all the deterrent he needed. He took one last steadying breath, and turned around semi-ready to go back inside and deal with his demons.
"Do you honestly think…" Ric began arms crossed and standing directly behind him with a bewildered look on his face.
"Fuck." Damon hissed his hand flying to his heart, which was all of a sudden rapidly beating again. It was like all of his training had suddenly gone to waste. He was so caught up in his own damn head he didn't realize he was being followed! "Jesus, Saltzman!"
"If you'd stop talking to yourself, you would have heard me come out here." Alaric said with a raised eyebrow. "I was on your heels the second you walked out the damn door."
Damon leaned over, braced his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes, took a second. "I wasn't thinking." Damon responded. "Honestly." He looked up at Alaric, shielded his eyes from the sun and conveyed his emotions in that one look. "Alaric. I saw the cop car. I fucking freaked out. I wasn't thinking." He blew out a big breath.
"Damn right you weren't thinking! Would I let anything happen to her?" Alaric was pissed off, offended. But it was fading quickly; Damon could hear it in his voice.
"I know you wouldn't." Damon turned to lean against the SUV. "The meeting with Stefan…." He shook his head. Ric sighed.
"Come on." Ric threw an arm around Damon's neck and tugged him in the direction of the back door. They slipped in with little notice. Elena glanced in their direction and Damon gave her a quick smile. It wasn't his best, wasn't very reassuring. Ric shook his head at her when she tried to follow them. The heartbroken look on her face was almost enough to ask her to join them but Ric was right. They could talk later.
Damon slid into his chair, booted up his computer. He heard the familiar tink of glass and the sound was music to his ears. When they both had glasses in front of them, both seated comfortably, Alaric gestured for Damon to continue.
"It messed me up." Damon whispered as he sipped once, and then downed the whole glass in one swallow.
"Gathered that." Alaric responded wryly. He rolled the glass in his hand, watched his friend. He knew his tells. Damon closed his eyes.
"It's all on Liz now."
"Liz?" Alaric lifted his booted feet onto the edge of the desk and crossed them at the ankles.
"Sheriff Forbes." Damon replied. "She's got to convince Stefan to turn on Mason. I couldn't. And I don't know that he will, Ric." Damon looked at his best friend, turned his tired, haunted eyes on him. "He's gonna come after her again, Alaric. I can feel it. He's not done with her." Damon held Ric's gaze, looking for a denial, for reassurance for something, some kind of rebuttal. But he didn't find it. Ric knew he was right. Mason wasn't done. If Stefan didn't turn on Mason, Mason was going to come after Elena again. And though he was ready for it and perfectly ready to take him down when it happened. Permanently, this time. He wasn't ready to deal with Elena's reaction or her regression when he showed up again. Fuck.
He glanced behind him at the security monitors. Elena was still chatting with Mutt. She was smiling. And Damon found himself cracking a smile. She hadn't smiled at him like that in a while. Probably because he'd been acting like an ass for most of the past twenty four hours. Fuck. He really needed to fix this. He couldn't keep shutting her out. He had to talk to her. And she had to talk to him. They had to talk to each other. It was a two way street. Fuck what Jeremy said.
"Hello? McFly!" Ric snapped his fingers in front of his face, pulling him from his thoughts. Damon blinked rapidly.
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Look. We can't focus on wondering what Stefan and Mason might do right now. Control the controllables. Fact. You're not one hundred percent."
"But I…." Damon interjected.
"Stop talking." Ric set his glass down, and sat up, pulling his booted feet off of the desk. "You need a good night's sleep." Damon laughed heartily. "I'm not kidding, Salvatore."
"You seem to be forgetting about my…"
"Oh, I'm not forgetting anything. We're all going over to the house where Meredith and Elena are going to indulge in some sort of women's ritual or girl's night, or whatever. They're cooking. You and I are going down to the gym and we are going to go a few rounds or ten around the ring. I'm going to wear your ass out." Alaric narrowed his eyes, "We'll even go for a run if we have to. I know how much you love your runs, Salvatore." By the time he finished, Damon was glaring at him.
"Are you done?" He asked.
"Depends." Alaric smirked. "You ready to go?"
"This is ridiculous. You're being ridiculous. You think a few rounds in the ring, and maybe a run is going to solve my sleeping problem?" Damon stood up. Alaric snapped his fingers and pointed downwards at Damon's chair. Damon narrowed his eyes, but sat albeit reluctantly.
"No, my friend. I'll think you'll find that you're the ridiculous one. You've got the love of your life in there so fucking confused she's not sure if you're bipolar or just emotionally retarded. And frankly, brother, right now? I'm not so sure, either. You need to get your shit straight. You're focused here at work." Ric spread his arms. "Most of the time, anyway. You're entitled, though Jesus. You need to focus there." He pointed at Elena. "And you start by getting some sleep. You know how you do that? You train. You beat the ever loving shit out of me. Or you try. We both know I'm lighter on my feet. If that doesn't work? We run. I don't think you want to try the last resort."
Damon frowned, looked down at his desk. He shook his head and rubbed his fingers over his eyes. He really did need sleep. And beating the shit out of Alaric actually sounded like fun. "No. No last resort."
"I don't want that either, buddy."
"So we train…and run." Damon sneered the word like it was disgusting. Ric chuckled. "I hate you." He whispered.
"You love me." Ric grinned.
"Wrong." Damon disagreed. "I love her."
"Stop pushing her away then, dumbass and show her." Alaric stood and replaced the bottle of Bourbon. "Don't drink anymore. I don't need you saying I only kicked your ass 'cause you were hammered. Finish up your paperwork and meet us out front in twenty. We're taking off early today." Damon rolled his eyes, but pulled up his spreadsheets that needed approval and began wrapping everything up. Alaric shut the door firmly behind him.
A quick glance at his watch told him that his appointment with Elijah was in an hour. He buzzed Rose. "Yes, sir?" She asked.
"Rose, I have a four o'clock with Elijah. Can you call him and reschedule for tomorrow, please?"
"Sure thing, Damon." She replied. "Anything else?"
Damon shook his head, "No, thanks though Rose. You're amazing if I don't tell you often enough."
He could hear the smile in her voice. "You don't, but I'm perfectly aware of my awesomeness, boss." She disconnected, and Damon found himself chuckling softly. She was something else, but truly amazing at her job and Ric's father had definitely found a gem when he'd hired her. Plus she put up with the two of them.
He checked an email sent from Andie regarding his closing and some additional documents she needed for Friday. He made a note to have those sent to her first thing tomorrow morning. It was nothing that couldn't wait. It was also a reminder that he needed to go back over the blueprints for the house, make some adjustments. He could get Elena's opinion on them while he was at it. If she was still talking to him. He snagged the tube sitting next to his desk that contained the blueprints and the folder left by the contractor that held some of his ideas to take home with him tonight. Maybe after he and Ric finished their workout they could look it over.
A soft, timid knock on his door drew his attention up away from his desk. "Damon?" She stood in his doorway, leaning against the doorjamb looking entirely unsure of herself and he kicked himself ten ways from Sunday for making her feel that way.
"Hey." He murmured. "What's up?"
"Ric wants to know if you're ready to go." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. Damon lifted his head to see Ric standing in the lobby, glaring in his direction. When Damon met his eyes though, he grinned crookedly at him. Damon looked back at Elena and she smiled shyly. His heart sped up slowly and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.
He looked back at his computer screen and his incomplete reports that he really should finish. He clicked the save button and locked his computer. He stood and snatched up his keys. "Yeah, sweetheart. I'm ready." Her eyes lit up at him and his heart warmed.
He was making headway. Finally. It was a start. He had a long way to go, but dammit she was worth it. He could fix this. He would fix this. He just had to fight his insecurities, fight his brain and follow his heart. It'd been pulling him in Elena's direction for going on twenty years. His heart knew what to do. He just had to learn to listen to it.
Another super long chapter! Don't get too used to these! There were several points I thought about cutting it off! I thought about ending it at the cop car part and leaving y'all with a cliffie but I wanted Ric and Damon to have their chat! And then I thought that would just be mean after a month with no update. Again I apologize for leaving you hanging. I did, however update it as SOON as our internet was fixed! Stupid Comcast! (and the tech was only here for FIVE minutes!) Feel free to yell at me in a review! ;)
SN: Also…I did get caught up in my favorite summer show and the only other couple I ship almost as much as Delena! Anybody else watch Rookie Blue? I freaking LOVE that show and hate that it's only 13 episodes and only on during the summer! I'm madly in love with Nick, played by Peter Mooney (who's a soldier turned cop who's stupid freaking hot with muscles that are just gah)… in love with his partner ( the start of season 4) and it's just ….sigh! I caught myself rewatching Season 3 where he makes his debut…another reason why I didn't write as fast…so sorry again but if you do watch it you might just understand…especially if you're a McCollins fan! AND if you caught Thursday's episode! ;) I've watched the ending an embarrassing number of times!
Anywho….sorry again! I'll see you amazing people later!...but not a month later! :D