A/N: Chapter 10. Oh, chapter 10. So, this chapter didn't turn out completely like I had planned. Actually, I had to end up separating part of this chapter into Chapter 11. So, expect Chapter 11 to come out quite soon. This chapter and the next chapter we learn even more about Elena's backstory, as well as some of Damon's. We also meet Giuseppe and Elizabeth Salvatore and find out something unexpected. After the next chapter (which is going to be pretty dark, by the way), the story will be taking a definitive lighter turn. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Smut ensues in the first part of this chapter, just so ya know.

And, as always, thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. They are my motivation. They are the reason that I keep writing all of these ramblings that are running through my head.

Chapter 10: Meet the Parents

Damon's POV

Kat and I just got back to the hotel after a day full of me groveling at her feet. We went shopping, and she bought so much shit, I wonder if the plane is going to hold it all. Then, we went out to dinner at a ridiculously expensive restaurant that only had so-so food. But at least she's not being such a bitch. As long as her wants are fulfilled, she's happy. She's the Katherine I remember when we first met, when she was showing me the best version of herself. She's the Katherine that I fell in love with, before she started showing her true colors.

When we get back to our suite, Elena is already asleep. The penthouse is meticulously clean. Either we have one hell of a housekeeper or Elena kept herself busy cleaning today, when I'm sure she didn't even really feel like it. She's laying on top of her covers, wearing a white camisole, with no bra underneath, and tiny black shorts. I stand there just staring at her for a minute, pushing the desire that is starting to course through my body aside, and leaving before Katherine has a chance to start getting jealous again.

When I walk into our room, Katherine is dressed in a lacy black and white babydoll and a barely there g-string. If this is the thanks I get for spoiling my girl, I will spoil her rotten every single day of the fucking year. Because, yes please. I practically run to the bed, with Katherine smiling seductively at me, and I'm trying to shed my clothes as fast as I can.

I take my shirt off, throwing it on the floor, and Katherine crawls over to me, ass wiggling in the air. She undoes my belt and the button and zipper on my jeans, freeing my cock. Her hand is stroking me before she pulls me into her mouth. I moan at the feeling of warmth and wetness in her mouth. Katherine's tongue plays with the tip of my cock, while her hand strokes the shaft rhythmically up and down with the perfect amount of pressure.

I pull Kat up to me, kissing her deeply, passionately, our tongues entwined. And I know it's wrong, but part of me wishes that it was Elena that I'm kissing. I wonder what she tastes like. I push those thoughts aside as quickly as they come, focusing on Katherine. I climb between her legs, looking up at her with lust-filled eyes, and lightly tap her clit with my tongue. And I love the way her body jumps off the bed when I hit her in just the right spot. My tongue delves into her pussy, and she's grabbing my hair, holding me there as she comes, her juices flowing into my mouth.

I pull Katherine up to me again and kiss her, letting her taste herself on my tongue. She licks her lips seductively before straddling my lap, sliding herself down slowly onto my cock. She rides me like that, slowly, then firmly, then slowly again, teasing me. I growl in frustration and push her down onto the bed, thrusting into her, hard and fast. She grabs the sheets, thrusting her hips up to meet my thrusts, before she screams out as her orgasm overwhelms her. Soon after, I'm joining her in ecstasy.

And, again, my mind is on Elena at the most inappropriate time. I can't help but imagine what she's going to look like when she has an orgasm, how her body will arch, her mouth hanging open, her body trembling.

I pull out of Kat, and she immediately goes to the bathroom to wash up, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Thoughts of the girl sleeping in the other room won't leave my head. Sex with Elena is like nothing I've ever experienced before. It's breathtaking and new, even though I've been with more women than I can count...or name. There's something amazingly incredible about being with someone so pure and innocent. It's thrilling to teach her all the ways she can please me, but I'm also finding myself getting even more excited at the prospect of teaching her all the ways that I can please her. And it probably makes me a horrible boyfriend, thinking of sex with another woman, when I just fucked my girlfriend. But I can't seem to help myself.

Elena's POV

We just left the hotel to make our way to the airport. Our flight leaves in two hours. Damon and I haven't really spoken to one another for the last 24 hours. He was gone with Katherine yesterday, and after I got tired of laying in bed waiting for my stomach to stop doing backflips, I decided to clean. I was asleep before they got back, but I think I heard Damon come in my room. Or maybe I dreamt it.

I had another nightmare last night, but it was less intense than the last few. I didn't wake up screaming, at least. Maybe it was due to me talking to Damon about it. I've never really talked to anyone about that whole experience, and it feels kind of nice knowing that someone else knows what's keeping me up at night.

We make it to airport and, thankfully, this time around we don't have any unexpected visitors. Damon, Katherine, and I all just wait in awkward silence for them to call us to get on our flight.

We get on our plane, and I'm in the aisle seat this time. I'm glad I'm not by the window again. I'd rather not have that reminder of how far away the ground is. Damon is seated next to me and Katherine is by the window. As we take off, I am gripping the armrest as if letting go would cause me to plummet back to the earth. Damon puts his hand on mine, squeezing it lightly, and when I look up at him, he mouths out "Relax."

Katherine notices his kind gesture and is quick to glare at the both of us. I can't believe how unbelievably jealous that woman is. I mean, for God's sake, I'm a teenager. Damon's a grown man, who I'm fairly certain is not going to leave his beautiful girlfriend for plain little me.

A few hours later, we are back on the ground, and back at home. Home. It's both strange and somewhat comforting referring to the boarding house as home. It sure beats the other places I've called home.

Damon's POV

As we drive up to the boarding house, I see a familiar car parked out front. And I wish we'd just stayed in New York. Mom and Dad are here. I love my mother. She's the perfect doting mom. But Giuseppe and I have come to blows more than once. He points out every single fucking mistake I ever make, and my lifestyle leaves a lot to be desired in his eyes. Yeah, Dad, you're the one that practically groomed me to take over operations of this house. If you're going to point fingers at anyone, point them at your own damn self.

Elena and I get our bags out of Katherine's Lexus, which is unscathed after it's stay at the airport, I might add. Kat's heading back to Chicago today. I guess she's had enough of me. I kiss her goodbye and unlock the door, mentally preparing myself for the onslaught of judgment I'm about to receive from dear old dad. But when we walk inside, no one seems to be around. I have Elena take her bags upstairs, while I set mine down and follow the faint sound of laughter I hear coming from the dining room.

Everyone is sitting at the dining table, glasses full of wine and plates full of food...Italian food. Mom's been cooking. I'm positive I have drool dripping down my shirt. Mama's cooking is my biggest weakness. If you want to bribe me, just put a plate of Elizabeth Salvatore's chicken parmigiana in front of me, and I'll agree to anything you say.

Mom sees me before anyone else, and she runs up and hugs me tightly. "Oh, my Damon. We were wondering when you would be home. Come, sit, I've got a plate all ready for you." Mom ushers me to the table. She's set a place for me next to Stefan, and as I sit, I can feel Dad's judgy eyes on me.

"Hello, Son."

"Dad." I smile at Dad, but it's quick and tight and obviously forced.

"Damon, dear, is Katherine going to join us?" Mom already has a place set for her on the other side of me.

"No. She's already headed home." Mom smiles warmly. I'm sure she's relieved. Katherine and Mom never have really seen eye to eye. Mom pours me a glass of wine and sets in down in front of me.

"What about your girl? Ric and Stefan have informed me that she is quite an amazing person. I'd like to meet her." I'm sure he would. He wants to see what damage I've done, if I know how to maintain control, if Elena is the good submissive little girl that he expects my girls to be.

"She's putting her things away right now, but I'm sure she'll be down any minute." Dad keeps looking at me like I'm already a disappointment, and if Elena doesn't get her ass down here in the next two minutes, I'm going to go upstairs and drag her down here.

Thankfully, it doesn't come to that. Elena comes downstairs a minute later. She's wearing a modest dress that accentuates her waist before it flares out. She looks like something straight out of the 50's, and she's absolutely beautiful.

As Elena nears the table, Mom walks up to her to show her to her seat, and I see all the color drain from Elena's face. She looks as if she's seen a ghost. Her body is frozen in place, and I'm wondering what the hell is going on.

Elena's POV

"Mama Liz?" I whisper to the woman in front of me. This isn't possible. I look over to the table. This is actually happening. "Papa Joe?"

"I'm sorry, but do we know you?" The man I've always known as Papa Joe asks me. I'm sure they don't recognize me now. A lot has changed since they last saw me nine years ago. Mama Liz looks equally confused.

"I-It's me...Elena," I say quietly, wondering if they are the same people I remember. These were the people who came over nearly everyday from ever since I can remember until I was nine. They knew that something was amiss at home, and they made sure that I knew that someone cared about me. They were the only people for many, many years that I ever felt any kind of love from.

Mama Liz gasps audibly, before she reaches out, arms wide open, and embraces me in a tight hug. And it feels so great. I see Papa Joe look at Damon with a look of shock, but I also see a flash of anger, a hint of disappointment. Wait, hold on, are these Damon and Stefan's parents? I see the resemblance. Damon has his mom's dark hair and blue eyes, and he has his father's jawline and stature.

"Does anybody here want to tell me what the fuck is going on?!"

"Damon! I will not have you talking like that around me." Mama Liz says, and Damon mutters a quick apology. I think it's the first time I've ever heard him apologize to anyone.

Everyone else at the table keeps looking back and forth between Damon, Papa Joe, Mama Liz, and I, waiting for someone to speak up.

Papa Joe finally breaks the silence. "Elena is the daughter of Grayson Gilbert."

"Yeah. I've met the asswipe...Sorry, Mom." Damon interjects.

"Grayson and I were both doctors at the same hospital. He and I had been best friends since we were in high school. I was his best man in his wedding. I was there when Jeremy was born. I was there when Miranda died giving birth to Elena."

Damon looks at me with an unreadable expression.

"After Miranda died, Gray was determined to be a good father to Elena. But that determination only lasted a few years. When she was three, he started drinking excessively. And that led to other things. He felt like Elena took Miranda from him, and he took it out on her."

I can feel tears stinging the backs of my eyes. It's one thing to live the life I have, but having to hear it played back to me isn't easy. And Damon's expression isn't helping. He looks furious.

"Why didn't I know about any of this before?" Damon says.

"You were off at boarding school. You were almost ten when Elena was born. By the time you came back to Mystic Falls, we'd cut the Gilberts out of our lives." Mama Liz explains. And I finally know that Damon is 27. I figured he was nearing 30.

"What do you mean, cut out?"

"We felt sorry for Elena. When she was a small child, we would go to Gray's house, and we noticed Elena was being treated rather harshly. We tried to make her life a little happier. We would visit as often as we could and take her treats and little trinkets and spend time with her. But, when she was nine, Grayson went too far. And I severed our friendship. And that, unfortunately, meant severing our ties with Elena, as well."

Damon looks angry and confused. Tears are running down my cheeks, despite my efforts to hold them in. Everyone at the table looks absolutely shocked. Caroline, Ric, and Jenna keep looking at me with looks of pity. Stefan is looking at Damon, trying to gauge his reaction.

Damon's POV

"You're gonna have to stop with the vague descriptions, Pops. What do you mean he went too far?" I'm irate right now, and I can't even point out who I'm most upset with. I'm angry at Grayson Gilbert for being a fucked up son of a bitch and a lousy ass father. I'm mad at my own parents for not doing more for Elena. But I'm also mad at my parents for doting on Elena while I was off at boarding school, forgotten unless it was a family visitation week.

I know it's completely irrational. I know Elena more than deserved whatever attention she received from my parents. And I know that I deserved to be sent to boarding school. I wasn't exactly an easy kid to have around. But I'm still jealous. And that makes me mad at myself.

"Grayson came to the hospital on one of the nights he was off. He was carrying Elena in his arms. She was injured quite severely. She had several broken bones, and she was unconscious. He told the staff in the ER that Elena had been in a car accident. But I knew that wasn't the case. I found out some time later that he'd had too much to drink, again, and had used Jeremy's baseball bat on Elena."

Fuck! Who does that to their kid? God damn it, the baseball bat in the cell must have been like hell for her.

"Why?! Why would you leave her after that? Please tell me that something horrible happened to Grayson Gilbert for what he did."

"Richard Lockwood, our medical director, was his friend, Damon. They were very similar people. Richard treated his kids like shit, and he wasn't about to punish the only man in the hospital that he could relate to. So, he let it go, wrote it off as injuries sustained in a car accident, just like Gray said. And when she was released from the hospital, two months later, she was released back to him." God damn it! At this point, I can't even place the blame squarely on my father, because Mom knew about this, too. And they just let it happen. I never knew my parents were cowards. And it pisses me off.

"D-damon. They-they couldn't have done anything. My dad had friends all over Mystic Falls. In the police force, in the city council, and especially at the hospital. Your parents did what they could."

I look at Elena with a look of complete and utter disbelief. Is she seriously sticking up for them?! And before I can startup my brain-to-mouth filter, my mouth decides to go ahead and ruin everything. "Elena, go to your room."

"Son. She's just trying to explain to you-"

I don't want to hear anymore. "Elena, go to your fucking room right now."

This isn't good. This isn't what I want to do, but at this point, I can't even think. I can't be rational, because every fiber of my being wants to purge all of the anger and resentment and disgust I'm feeling towards humanity right now.

Elena runs up the stairs, and I can feel my fellow housemates' eyes all boring holes into me. Mom and Dad are hugging Stefan, their angel of a son, and then, they are rushing out the door.

"Seriously, Damon?!" Great, Blondie wants to chip in. "I can understand you being mad at your parents, but what did Elena do?!"

Elena didn't do anything. I did. No. Elena did everything. Elena is the reason I'm in this mess in the first place. Elena is the reason that I have this burning feeling of rage boiling inside of me. Elena is the reason that I feel irrationally jealous, jealous of the love that she got, and I didn't. And stupid fucking me, has to go and take it out on her. Because that's what I do.

I'm not sitting around waiting for everyone else in this room to judge me, either. So, I turn and leave, heading up to my room, leaving behind a plateful of uneaten food and a roomful of judgment and disappointment. I close my door, pour myself a glass of bourbon, and then I throw the bottle of bourbon at the brick mantle of my fireplace. It shatters into a thousand pieces, kind of like my life right now, leaving alcohol spilling onto the floor.